Dharamsala: Waxing eloquent about the leadership qualities of Narender Modi, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar, whose bitter rivalry with the Gujarat leader at one time was well known declared here today, “Modi is the right person to lead India, as he is going in the right direction for the benefit of masses. This will naturally irritate opponents.”
Shanta Kumar in a communique release defended Modi over the statement about need for toilets in the country more than temple saying, “everybody starts a days routine from going to toilet before entering a temple; when majority do not have access to hygienic toilets, how are they going to worship the lord with purity.” 
Drawing a comparison between Modi and Swami Vivekananda, Shanta Kumar said that Vivekananda forsake the idea of ‘moksha’ to guide the nation in service of ‘Daridranaryana’ (poorest of the poor). Modi too was following a similar path by raising basic issues like clean toilets, something an India has been unable to provide to all even after 65 years of attaining independence, he stated.
Mocking the UPA government, the senior leader said that the present government was eager to provide mobile and laptops to the public, instead of the providing such basic facilities like clean toilets. More than 50% of endemic diseases spread due to lack of good hygiene, he said.
“It is a matter of real pride that Narender Modi has established himself at the central point of Indian politics and is bringing upon issues that have become debating points in the nation,” said Shanta Kumar.
In the mid 90s when Modi was BJP general secretary incharge of Himachal Pradesh, the Gujarat leader was much responsible for causing a shift in state party leadership by backing Prem Kumar Dhumal for the chief minister position that he came to occupy in 1998, much to the dismay of Shanta Kumar, the other claimant.
As Editor, Ravinder Makhaik leads a team of media professionals at Hill Post.
Spanning a career of over two decades in mass communication, as a Documentary Filmmaker, TV journalist, Print Media journalist and with Online & Social Media, he brings with him a vast experience. He lives in Shimla.
