Political rivalry aside, Prime Minister Modi in a non-political conversation with filmstar Akshay Kumar, said that even now TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sends him kurtas and sweets. The interview which was streamed by news agency ANI earlier today touched upon the non-political aspects of his life. Speaking on his cordial relations with the leaders in the opposition parties, PM Modi said, he has quite a few friends in the opposition.
#WATCH PM Narendra Modi during interaction with Akshay Kumar, speaks on his friends in opposition parties, especially Ghulam Nabi Azad & Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/8GkqrHpqXv
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2019
He said that even today Mamata ‘Didi’ personally selects kurtas for him and sends them. He even added that once he met Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and when she got to know Prime Minister’s liking for Bengali sweets, Hasina started sending sweets for the PM from Dhaka. When Banerjee got to know of the sweets exchange, even she started sending sweets to PM Modi.
Taking a sly dig at the Gandhis and Congress for perpetuating dynasty politics, Prime Minister Modi said that he never thought he would be the Prime Minister. He said, “I think every one who becomes the Prime Minister didn’t think they would become the Prime Minister some day. Unless their entire family has been like that and had such a background and they have such aspirations, then it is natural.” He explained that the humble family background that he comes from, his mother would have distributed sweets even if he had managed to find a simple job somewhere.
Akshay Kumar has recently made a few commercially successful films which have touched upon the schemes of the central government as well as a social message which the government has been trying to convey. His film Toilet – Ek Prem Katha was dismissed by the ‘liberals’ as a propaganda film because it was a love story where the problem of open defecation and importance of having a toilet inside the house were dealt with.
On a lighter note, Kumar asked Prime Minister Modi what would he wish for if he gets Aladin’s lamp which could fulfil 3 wishes. Modi said that if at all he gets such a lamp which fulfils wishes, he would wish to inscribe it in the heads of the educationists that they let the coming generation know that such things like wish-fulfilling lamps don’t exist and that they need to work hard to achieve their goals.
He added that he has no personal possessions and whatever he was entitled to as a chief minsiter and as an MLA or even as a Prime Minister, he has given it all up.
Taking a dig at the sassy and enterprising Gujaratis and Amdavadis, Prime Minister Modi even cracked a jokes on the community. He joked, that once upon a time, a train stopped at a station and a passenger asked someone on the platform which station has arrived. The young boy said, if you give me four annas, I will tell you which station it is. The passenger dismissed the boy saying he now knows he has reached Amdavad. Ahmedabad is colloquially referred to as Amdavad by the local people.
Meanwhile, Akshay Kumar’s non-political, casual interaction with Prime Minister Modi drew criticism from the usual suspects. Of course, without understanding that Akshay Kumar is not a journalist and this was not a political interview where he was to ask ‘tough questions’. Former journalist-turned-politician-turned-journalist again Ashutosh was quick to refer to the interview as ‘planted and pliable’.
Planted and pliable interviews are the order of the day. Its not about who can dare do a grilling interview with PM as such journalist won’t be allowed to be seen around the vicinity. It’s pick and choose.
— ashutosh (@ashutosh83B) April 24, 2019
Ashutosh himself has written a book praising Arvind Kejriwal, who allegedly got beaten up by his own MLAs last week, referring to Kejriwal as ‘hope’.
AAP’s blogger in chief Rifat Jawaid was on a completely different tangent floating bizarre conspiracy theories.
Akshay Kumar brought in to ‘interview’ Modi is proof Modi has lost the plot after 3 phases of polls. Opposition parties must be alert on EVMs without which there is no hope for a second term for Modi. South ain’t compensating for lost grounds in North and West including Gujarat!
— Rifat Jawaid (@RifatJawaid) April 24, 2019
Others, like this NDTV ‘journalist’, wanted Kumar to ask tough questions to Modi.
I so wish it was @mrsfunnybones and not @akshaykumar interviewing the PM. C’mon Khiladi ask some tough questions.
— Sonal MehrotraKapoor (@Sonal_MK) April 24, 2019
We all know how former NDTV ‘journalist’ once ‘interviewed’ the ‘Tigress’ Sonia Gandhi asking her tough questions like when did she first meet Indira Gandhi. Or the time when another ‘journalist’ fawned over Rahul Gandhi’s pet dog Pidi.
Prime Minister Modi said he likes to keep himself updated on what is happening in social media so that he knows what is happening in the outer world. “I see the Twitter accounts of yours and your wife Twinkle’s. And the way she takes out her anger on me, I am sure your family life would be quite peaceful,” Modi said in a lighter vein. Akshay Kumar’s wife Twinkle, is a very vocal critic of Prime Minister Modi while her husband has maintained a politically correct stand.
Thankfully, Twinkle Khanna has her sense of humour intact and take the joke Modi cracked on her in the right spirit.
I have a rather positive way of looking at this-Not only is the Prime Minister aware that I exist but he actually reads my work 🙂 ? https://t.co/Pkk4tKEVHm
— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) April 24, 2019
