Narendra Modi: Not afraid of being in same frame as an industrialist

Hitting back for the first time at critics who questioned his perceived friendly relations with corporates Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that unlike some people he was not afraid of publicly standing beside industrialists and business magnates because his intentions were nobleHe said industrialists too contribute to nation building and it was not right to label them all as thieves but those who do wrong will have to leave the country or live in jailWe are not the people who will be afraid of standing beside industrialists You would be knowing some people who are such that you would not find a single photo of them with an industrialistbusinessman But there is not a single businessman in this country who would not have gone to these peoples places and bowed to them in reverence Modi told a governmentindustry interface here as he inaugurated several development projects for Uttar PradeshIf your intentions are noble you wont be tainted no matter with whom you are standing Modi said adding that Mahatma Gandhi never had any qualms about living in the Birla householdThe opposition has been targeting Modi over his picture at Davos economic forum in January this year with fugitive diamondtaire Nirav Modi who is at the centre of multithousand crore Punjab National Bank PNB scam besides the Prime Ministers perceived closeness with another fugitive Mehul Choksi whom he once publicly addressed as Mehul bhaiThe opposition has also been critical of Modi governments inaction while persons like Vijay Mallya Nirav Modi Choksi Jatin Mehta and Lalit Modi easily flew out of the country after being accused of committing huge financial fraudsThe Congress party has of late also targeting Modi for allegedly giving the offset contract in the Rafale jet deal with France to one of his corporate friends at the expense of state owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd Mahatma Gandhi never hesitated standing beside Ghanshyam Das Birlaji because his intentions were right But those who do things behind the curtain and wish not to be seen publicly with corporates they are afraid Modi saidJust as much as the labour of a farmer an artisan a banker a government employee or a labourer goes into the making of the nation the efforts of industrialists too have a role in nation building Should we insult them call them thieves and robbers Is this the wayBut yes whoever among corporates does the wrong he will either have too leave the country or live in jail This would not happen earlier because a lot happened behind the curtains then Pointing at former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh who was in the audience Modi said that Singh can give details of many such deals of those peopleDo people not know who is flying in whose plane Modi said with a sarcastic smileAlso Read Prime Minister Narendra Modi Arrives In LucknowCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever