"We have a strong Prime Minister in our country taking bold decisions." Chirag Paswan, the new minister in the Modi 3.0 Cabinet, talked about the first time he met PM Narendra Modi.
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00:00I met him first after joining the alliance.
00:05In 2013?
00:06Yes, in 2013.
00:07That's right.
00:08But it was a very interesting meeting in 2013.
00:11My father was completely different from India.
00:14He was a part of the UPA at that time.
00:16He was very clear about the fact that he didn't want to go to India.
00:20I was just as headstrong that we should go with India.
00:24I was very impressed with the views of the current PM and the candidate for PM of that time, Adani Narendra Modi.
00:31I wanted us to be a part of the alliance.
00:33Has there been anything in politics that has surprised you that you didn't think you would have to face?
00:43I think politics every day comes with surprises.
00:46I have 10 years of experience in active politics.
00:54In 2013, I was actively involved in politics.
00:57My leader, Adani Ramlal Paswan, gave me the responsibility of the chairman of the Lok Shakti Party.
01:03From 2013 to 2023, I have seen a lot of ups and downs.
01:10A lot has changed in the politics of the country.
01:13A lot of political decisions have been taken.
01:15I have seen a lot of things in politics that I didn't even expect after my father's death.
01:23Only for political gains.
01:25My family, my party, the symbol of my party, which I have seen since childhood, has been frozen.
01:33Whether it is at the personal level, at the party level or at the political level.
01:38We have a strong Prime Minister in our country, taking bold decisions.
01:41So, those things also surprise me.
01:45We used to hear about the Ram Mandir issue since childhood.
01:47There is a clarity on that.
01:49Or there are controversial issues like Article 370.
01:52It can be sorted out easily.
01:55So, I think there are surprises in politics every day.
01:58And as long as you are in politics, every day will come with a new day and new challenges.
02:03You talked about PM Modi.
02:05When did you meet him for the first time?
02:07Maybe you met him as a child.
02:09Do you have any anecdotes?
02:11Well, not really.
02:12My first interaction with him was not as a child.
02:15I met him first after joining the Alliance.
02:20In 2013?
02:21Yes, in 2013.
02:22That's right.
02:23I have definitely met my father.
02:26But I never got the chance to meet him as a child.
02:30But it was a very interesting meeting in 2013.
02:33Because my father was completely different from India.
02:36He was a part of UPA at that time.
02:39And he was very clear about the fact that he did not want to go to India.
02:43In such a situation, it was a big news for him to go to India in 2013-14.
02:49Because no one had thought that he would be a part of India.
02:52I was so headstrong that we should go with India.
02:55I was very impressed with the views of the current PM and the candidate for PM.
03:03I wanted us to be a part of the Alliance.
03:05I remember that we had formed an alliance with Rajna Singh.
03:11And for the first time in Bihar, I think it was in Muzaffarpur or Bhagalpur.
03:20It was his first Lok Sabha in 2014.
03:23I met him backstage at that time.
03:26And he candidly asked me the first question.
03:30How did you do such a difficult task?
03:33How did you convince your father for this alliance?
03:36We had a good, candid, casual meeting.
03:39Is this an ideological alliance or a personal alliance?
03:47Alliances are always issue-based.
03:51Your principles and ideas are always kept in mind.
03:56And in 2014, we were accused of being socialists.
04:04And the way the BJP is viewed from a communal angle,
04:14we were accused of being socialists.
04:18But even then, I was clear that an alliance is always issue-based.
04:24There have been many issues in the BJP,
04:28where we raised our objections,
04:34whether it was about the land rights bill or other issues.
04:40And because your opinions are different,
04:42that's why you are in an alliance.
04:43Otherwise, you could have merged your party.
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