Mr Modi sought to woo India Inc, which has been battling worries about policy paralysis
Bold leadership, proper decision-making, skill development and capacity-building were the buzz-words for
Narendra Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial face, as he sought to woo India Inc, which has been battling worries about policy paralysis, shrinking opportunities and a general slowdown in the Indian economy. (
Read: Highlights of Mr Modi's speech)
"Leadership is extremely important. People should know whom to trust, and take bold decisions," the Gujarat Chief Minister said while delivering the keynote address at the FICCI executive meeting at Gandhinagar today. His remarks were seen as a veiled attack on prime minister Manmohan Singh, who has in the past few years come under criticism for his procrastination on important issues. "The consequences of bad economic policies are evident. You don't great institutions to tell you this," he said. (
Rate Narendra Modi's speech)
"You can't run the country if you're running away from responsibility. It has become a fashion to run away," Mr Modi added. To drive home the point, he cited the example of his handling of the floods that ravaged Surat last year.
Mr Modi also harped on the role of quick decision-making. "When bombs exploded at Gandhi Maidan, the venue of my rally in Patna in October last, I was stopped at the airport and asked not to proceed for the rally. But I stood firm and went ahead. At the end of my speech, I urged the people to stay calm," he said.
The Gujarat Chief Minister could not restrain himself from directly taking on the prime minister's "inclusive growth" theme. "This is his favourite phrase, but if we don't build capacity of the poor, mainly through education, it will not be possible to have such a growth," he said, as he dwelt on his favourite concepts of skill-development, especially in the rural areas, and building specialised universities for defence, railways and security to develop quality manpower.