Union minister Venkaiah Naidu also mentioned PM Modi's vast popularity on social media.
Highlights
- Venkaiah Naidu also mentioned PM Modi's inclusion at Madame Tussauds
- The minister also mentioned PM Modi's vast popularity on social media
- Asked about his comments, Rajnath Singh declined to answer
Union minister Venkaiah Naidu today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "God's gift to India", one of the "most popular leaders of the country, who was also a "messiah of the poor".
While moving the political resolution on the second and last day of the BJP's national executive meeting, Mr Naidu said, "Modi is God's gift for India. He is the messiah of the poor. He inherited challenges in each and every sector. He is steering clear of them."
He went on to add that PM Modi has made it to Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in 2015. This year, he is on the 30th position, Mr Naidu added.
The minister also mentioned PM Modi's vast popularity on social media, saying he had more than 18 million followers on Twitter and 32 million on Facebook.
He also referred to the the PM's inclusion in the globally famous wax museum of Madame Tussauds, saying the popularity of the Prime Minister, "Modifier Of Developing India" - his acronym for Modi-- has scaled "new heights".
The minister's comments is at variance with the line of the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which does not approve of personality cults. Off the record, many party insiders admitted to feeling uncomfortable during the speech of the minister, who has long been associated with the RSS.
Later in the day, during a press conference, Union home minister Rajnath Singh was asked multiple questions regarding Mr Naidu's comments. But the minister declined an answer, finally saying he had not heard Mr Naidu's speech.
Last week, another minister - junior home minister Kiren Rijiju - had forwarded a Facebook post that said French seer Nostradamus had predicted that Narendra Modi would lead India from 2014 to 2026.