RANCHI: BJP member of Parliament Maneka Gandhi on Monday batted for Narendra Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections and said the Gujarat chief minister "would make a good PM".
"Modiji is capable and will make a good PM," said Gandhi, joining the rising clamour for Modi as BJP's prime ministerial candidate. She further said Modi's popularity is widespread.
Party president Rajnath Singh, senior leaders Yashwant Singh and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi among others, have already voiced their support for Modi.
Gandhi said there are at least three capable candidates in the party and that the name should be decided unanimously.
Gandhi, who is also an animal activist, was in town to participate in a meeting organized by the Jharkhand Pradeshik Gaushala Sangh — a body that works for saving cows.
Asked about her view on Rahul Gandhi as leader, she said, "You should yourself evaluate. All know what happened in areas where he (Rahul Gandhi) had campaigned hard for the assembly elections." The Gandhi scion's campaigns during the Uttar Pradesh and the Bihar assembly elections in 2012 did not fare well for the Congress.
She said the governments should take the issue of cow slaughter seriously. The laws should be implemented fast and strictly. The situation is grimmer in rural areas, she added.
The trade of using medicines to extract milk from cows is flourishing in several states like Bihar. "Medicines are being used to milch cows as it increases the amount of milk. Consumption of milk extracted through such a method is injurious to health," she said.
"It (such milk) leads to breast cancer in women and prostrate cancer in men. It is high time that governments (of various states) ban use of such medicines," she added.
Gandhi also slammed the practice of slaughtering cows for religious purposes. "In Uttarakhand, the practice has stopped. In the last two years there has not been a single incident of cow slaughter. Other states should follow the example."
Cow slaughter for any purpose is banned in Jharkhand. Prevention of the Cow Slaughter Act, 2011, has provisions for imprisonment of the accused for 10 years with Rs 10,000 fine.
Maneka Gandhi bats for Narendra Modi as PM
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Maneka Gandhi bats for Narendra Modi as PM
