Even in May 2014, Narendra Modi choked with emotion after being elected leader of the BJP parliamentary party and wept.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke down while addressing BJP MPs at the parliamentary party meeting Wednesday, the first after the ruling party won a sixth straight term in Gujarat after a bitterly-fought assembly election.
Sources told ThePrint that uttering ‘Gujarat’ brought tears to Modi’s eyes, not once but three times as he recounted his journey from his home state to the PM’s office.
This is the second time in three years that Modi broke down in Parliament. In May 2014, Modi choked with emotion after being elected leader of the BJP parliamentary party and wept.
Modi recalled how former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee patted him on his back many times after the BJP won a majority in Gujarat in the 1990s.
“Vajpayee patted me on my back and praised me for the number we secured,” BJP sources quoted Modi as saying at the meeting Wednesday.
The PM reminded his MPs that the Gujarat victory had not come easily. “It was not an easy win. No one should be under the illusion that it was an easy one,” he said.
Modi said the Gujarat BJP had lost two strong leaders, Keshubhai Patel and Shankersinh Vaghela, in recent times.
“Both are from strong communities. Yet we managed to win. This proves that…people will support you if you work with dedication,” the Prime Minister told the MPs.
Modi became emotional while saying that none of his predecessors in the PMO had managed to secure victory in so many states in the three years after assuming office.
“I finished my tour of Gujarat on 12 December and I attended all party meetings as well. I toured so many states in between. I invite you all to do the same. You can tag along but should know that you will have to work like me,” Modi was quoted as saying by the sources.
The PM asked the leaders to reach out to the grassroots level and work hard.
“Even the tallest leader feels the joy of victory if secured with hard work,” Modi was quoted as saying.