Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "decisiveness" was one of the prime reasons that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) green-lighted his name for the Prime Ministerial position in 2014. In an interview with 'Humans of Bombay', the former national president of the party explained why he announced Narendra Modi, the then-Gujarat Chief Minister, as the candidate for the Lok Sabha Elections.
In the interview which is available on YouTube, the show host can be seen asking Rajnath, "It was you who nominated Narendra Modi as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Prime Ministerial candidate in 2014." What motivated you to make this decision, and how did you arrive at it?"
The Union Minister responded, "For all that time I have known Modiji, I have regarded him as a decisive leader. He has had a strong impression as a political worker in the party. While serving as Gujarat's Chief Minister, these leadership qualities were visible to all."
Rajnath served as the 8th President of the saffron party from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2014.
"He has never hesitated to make any kind of decision. People who have even a little political awareness would accept the fact that Modiji was praised widely for his performance as Chief Minister," he said.
"Considering all these factors, we all (top BJP brass) thought that if we field Modiji as a Prime Ministerial candidate for this Lok Sabha Election (talking about 2014 polls), we will be able to gain a public mandate."
Watch The Interview Here
"The credibility he established as the Chief Minister of Gujarat was the prime reason we all announced his candidature. He had never had any charges of corruption on him. He also has a personality of dynamism. He was also loved and widely appreciated among people," Rajnath said.