Power is like oxygen for some people, they can’t live without it: Modi
Power is like oxygen for “some people” with restlessness setting in if they are out of it for even “two or five years”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday while taking another jibe at the opposition but without naming anybody or any party.
“Today’s political landscape is such that if someone has to stay out of power even for two or five years, they become restless,” he told the gathering.
Vajpayee, he emphasised, committed every second of his life for the welfare of the people.
“For some people, power is oxygen…they can’t live without it. A long part of Atal-ji’s career was spent in the opposition benches but he spoke about national interest and never compromised on the ideology of the party,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) added on Twitter while quoting the prime minister’s speech.
Power is oxygen for some people, they can’t live without it, says PM Modi https://t.co/tjz5VpDqHB pic.twitter.com/BeNwsKykho
— NDTV (@ndtv) December 24, 2018
Releasing a Rs 100 commemorative coin in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the eve of his 94th birth anniversary, Modi said the late premier spent most of his political life in the opposition benches but always thought of the country and its people.
“Atal-ji wanted democracy to be supreme. He built the Jana Sangh. But when the time came to rescue our democracy, he and others went to the Janata Party. Likewise, when the choice was between remaining in power or comprising on ideology, he left Janata Party and formed the BJP,” Modi said.
Vajpayee’s prowess as a speaker was unparalleled, Modi said, describing him as among the best orators India had produced.
“When he spoke, the nation spoke… when he spoke, the nation listened. Atal-ji’s voice was not only voice of the BJP, it was an expression of the common man’s aspirations,” he said.
The mind, Modi asserted, is not ready to believe that Vajpayee is no longer alive. “Though he was away from public glare for nearly a decade due to ill health, the way people gave him a farewell on his demise showed the mark he had created in people’s minds,” Modi said.
Modi said he would go to Vajpayee’s memorial on Tuesday to reiterate his commitment to the ideology and path shown by the statesman.