Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Sunday said Jashodaben, wife of BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, should be conferred the Bharat Ratna as “she is a symbol of great Indian womanhood and sacrifice.”
Addressing a press conference at the Rajiv Bhavan here, Mr. Gogoi said he would recommend Jashodaben for Bharat Ratna within 10 days. “I salute her a hundred times. She is a symbol of great Indian womanhood and sacrifice,” he said, while talking about Mr. Modi not disclosing his marital status in previous election affidavits.
Mr. Gogoi also said that Ms. Jashodaben should even be given the Nobel Prize as “she is symbol of sacrifice not only in India but the entire world.”
While Mr. Modi claimed that he was a sanyasi, it was Jashodaben who was the real sanyasin.
“Modi is a sanyasi who is hungry for power. Jashodaben is the real sanyasin ready to sacrifice.”
Mr. Gogoi, however, said the issue of Mr. Modi’s marital status was not made an election issue by his party and it would not have any impact on the poll outcome. “It is not an election issue. It is a human issue.”
Alleging that Mr. Modi claimed to be a Hindu nationalist, the Chief Minister said: “I am proud to be an Indian nationalist. Congressmen are Indian nationalists. Those in the BJP are Hindu nationalists.”