Narendra Modi boasts, says America praised him

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today reacted to the US diplomatic cable dated November 2, 2006, which called him a non-corrupt, effective administrator. The CM said, "Now even America knows Modi is incorruptible."

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday reacted to the US diplomatic cable dated November 2, 2006, which called him a non-corrupt, effective administrator.

Modi said, "Now even America knows Modi is incorruptible. Wikileaks shows two face: one that of govt of India and that of progressive Gujarat. I told American diplomats not to preach me human rights. I'm a son of India and I know what human right violations America has done."

The 2006 cable quoted the Consul General in Mumbai, Michael S. Owen saying, "Modi has successfully branded himself as a non-corrupt, effective administrator, as a facilitator of business in a state with a deep commercial culture, and as a no-nonsense, law-and-order politician who looks after the interests of the Hindu majority. Modi's backers in the BJP now hope to convince the party leadership that he can use these positive traits to attract voters throughout India. Some BJP leaders believe, or hope, that voters will forget or forgive Modi's role in the 2002 bloodshed, once they learn to appreciate his other qualities."

The Gujarat CM added, "I'm happy that the dialogue has been faithfully reproduced (in US diplomatic cables). The government should address the issue of American interference in internal matters of India."

The United States, in 2005, had denied visa to Modi for his connection to the 2002 Gujarat communal riots. But confidential cable published in Hindu today shows that US was confused on how to deal with the Gujarat Chief Minister as there were chances of his occupying an important place in the national politics. The US State department sanctioned a meeting with Modi at the level of the Mumbai Consul General in 2006 though they had earlier declined to engage with him at the ambassadorial level because of his role in the 2002 Gujarat communal violence.

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In a cable dated November 2, 2006, the Consul General in Mumbai, Michael S. Owen, stressed on the importance of interacting with Modi "whose B1/B2 visa we revoked in 2005, at the level of the Consul General" over the Chief Minister's role in the 2002 communal violence. Such interaction, Mr. Owen said, "will also shield us from accusations of opportunism from the BJP that would invariably arise if we ignored Modi now but sought a dialogue with him in the likely event that he makes it to the national stage."