Aap Ki Adalat: Senior BJP leader and former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who appeared on the latest episode of Rajat Sharma's Aap Ki Adalat show, spoke extensively about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hard-working style and said that he has never seen the PM "yawn even once" while working continuously, without even taking a day's leave.
When Rajat Sharma told Ravi Shankar Prasad that a senior Congress leader told him that PM Modi should now rest after working as Prime Minister for 10 years, the BJP leader spoke about PM Modi's dedication and said, "He was Chief Minister for 12 years, Prime Minister for 10 years, did not take a single day's leave. Before the Ram idol consecration ceremony took place in Ayodhya, he was asked to confine himself to a strict fast regimen. For 11 days, he only sipped coconut water, slept on the floor on a blanker and visited most parts of India. It was arduous, and when he was asked to have some food, he replied, get me some 'Charanamrut', only then can I break my fast. Let me tell you, let God keep him healthy. Till today, I never saw him take a yawn.(Maine Aaj Tak Unko Jamhai Letey Nahin Dekha Hai) ... A person who performs 'sadhna' inside a cave in Kedarnath, and works so hard, at least something must be there in his mettle. We are proud that we have a great leader, a great 'saadhak', an able leader, a Prime Minister like Narendra Modi."
ON ARVIND KEJRIWAL
The senior BJP leader was asked whether Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, presently in ED custody, can run a government from jail. Ravi Shankar Prasad replied, "In a democracy, everything does not run as per law. Loktantra (democracy) runs on Lok-Laaj (honour of people). A democracy is run through probity and propriety. If a Magsaysay Award winner, IIT graduate and Anna Hazare's disciple claims so, it will be the lowest depth of shamelessness. What else can I say?"
When Rajat Sharma asked whether ED was misused to put a chief minister behind bars on the eve of elections, Prasad replied, "I will not say about his arrest, it is ED's responsibility. But I want to ask some counter questions. Manish Sisodia has been in jail for a year, they sat on dharna at Rajghat. Sanjay Singh is in jail since six months. Satyender Jain is in jail for two years. In Kolkata, the minsiter from whom several crores were seized is in jail... They raise the bogey of ED and CBI but will never say what they did."
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When Rajat Sharma said, Kejriwal himself told the court that even a Chandni Chowk pickpocket cannot be arrested on the flimsy ground for which he was arrested, Prasad replied, "Kejriwal had projected himself as an honest leader, a disciple of Anna Hazare, but his former associates like Prashant Bhushan, Ashutosh, Kiran Bedi, Anupam Kher, Kumar Vishwas, Yogendra Yadav and Shazia Ilmi all left him one by one. All those who had joined him in his movement left him. I am not going to tell the whole story here."
Asked whether Kejriwal was arrested because he was the only leader who can challenge Narendra Modi, Prasad replied: "Is there any restriction on anybody issuing himself a certificate? He went to Varanasi (to challenge Modi) and lost, he went to Gujarat saying 'a new lion has arrived', and his party won one seat, in Delhi they could not win a single Lok Sabha seat. Yes, they won assembly elections, but politics of arrogance will not hold water. Yeh Public Hai Sab Jaanti Hai. Trust them... To say that I will run my government from jail, which has never happened before in our country. What is all this?"
WASHING MACHINE
Asked why leaders like Naveen Jindal, Ashok Chavan, Ajit Pawar were allowed to join BJP, though they had charges against them, the former Law Minister replied, "Naveen Jindal is still suffering trial (in coal mines case). Ashok Chavan has got some relief from court, as far as I know. Ajit Pawar's cases are still on, but he has got stay in some cases... Tell me, did Modi stop or withdraw any of these cases?... Not even one. Of course, in politics, you have to take decisions due to political reasons. But there can be no compromise on honesty and probity."
When Rajat Sharma pointed out that Mamata Banerjee has been alleging that BJP has become a washing machine, where corrupt persons enter and come out as pure as white, Prasad replied, "What's happening in Bengal? Booths are being captured, daughters are being dishonoured, corruption is rampant, Hindu culture and traditions are being attacked, and yet Mamata is silent. Don't ask me what Mamata and her nephew are doing there. They went to Supreme Court several times. Did they get relief? Let Mamata mock us, I want to tell you, the people of Bengal are going to give a historic verdict this time."
ON NITISH KUMAR
Asked about his earlier remarks that the doors of BJP are forever closed for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, Ravi Shankar Prasad replied: "Yes, I said that. He had also said, I will never return till I am alive... but, Nitish Ji is an honest person. When he was chief minister, there were five gates open for him at Lalu Ji's place. One gate was for his daughter, second gate for his elder son, third gate for his younger son, fourth gate for his wife and the fifth gate for himself. He was unable to do anything. He suffered from bad health. He was literally broken from inside (Woh Andar Se Toot Gaye They). We told him you cannot run this government... I admit I have spoken against Nitish Ji so many times. Those are on record. But tell me, why did he leave? He brought Mamata Ji, met Rahul Gandhi, went to Maharashtra, and collected all of them together. Then he was told, Nitish, Side Ho Jaa. Baaki Netagiri Hum Karenge. What is all this?"
Asked whether Modi targeted Nitish first in order to break I.N.D.I.A bloc, Prasad replied, "Does Modi Ji need anybody's help? Now look at how the alliance is now broken... I want to tell clearly, we nurture relationships. But in their camps, nobody knows when relationships are made and broken. Can they run the country?"
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