Gurugram (Haryana) [India], June 27 (ANI): Sharmistha Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee, on Saturday said her recent article on Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew from an observation made by her father after the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, describing the verdict as a mandate not just for the BJP but for Modi personally.

Speaking about the article, Sharmistha Mukherjee said, 'I wrote an article which was published in many Hindi and also regional newspapers. So there I shared an insight made by my father regarding the 2014 election and Narendra Modi ji. That was for the first time in the history of Lok Sabha elections that a new face was declared as the prime ministerial candidate.'

She said that, unlike previous elections, where the Prime Ministerial face usually emerged after the polls or was the incumbent Prime Minister, the BJP had projected Narendra Modi as its candidate before the election.

'Otherwise, if you see even within Congress also, first there is the election, there is always an assumption, and specially if the election is being led by a Prime Minister of the previous government, there is always an assumption that that person is going to be the next Prime Minister. But here in this case, it was a new face, and he was projected as the Prime Minister. And so, as if it was people who chose not just BJP, not just Narendra Modi Ji's party but Narendra Modi as a Prime Minister to lead India. So that was a very unique factor. This insight was made by my father,' she said.

Sharmistha Mukherjee also said Prime Minister Modi's entry into Parliament as a first-time Lok Sabha MP while assuming the country's highest executive office was probably 'unprecedented'.

'And also this is unprecedented that the first term MP, Narendra Modi Ji has been in politics and made his mark as Gujarat Chief Minister and created that aura around him. But 2014 was his first Lok Sabha election. So this is perhaps unprecedented in the history of India that a first-term MP is entering the Parliament House as the Prime Minister. So this is quite unique,' she said.

Recalling her father's interaction with Prime Minister Modi after the election results, she said, 'So my father told Narendra Modi ji when he came to see him after the elections that this mandate is not just for your party, but this is a mandate for you also, so you have a far greater responsibility.'

Speaking on Prime Minister Modi's leadership, Mukherjee said, 'Mr Modi has been able to provide a strong and stable government which is I think extremely important, especially in today's context when we see this whole geopolitical uncertainty all over the world. So at this time it is absolutely necessary for India to have a strong and stable central government and strong leadership, and I think Mr Modi is the right person to lead India at this very, very critical juncture, especially keeping in mind the world politics.'

She said every Prime Minister since Independence had contributed to nation-building and that their tenures should be assessed with historical perspective rather than political comparisons.

'Whether it's Pandit Nehru, Narendra Modi ji, Indira Gandhi, Narasimha Rao or Manmohan Singh. So you have to see it from a distance perspective. Every prime minister has contributed to the task of nation-building. So in my mind, there should not be a competition who did what; nobody is perfect, no government is perfect. But everybody is genuine in their effort, and everybody has taken India to a great height. This is the job of the opposition to criticise the government and rightly so. But again, as I said, the right assessment comes after a distance, from a distance. So I don't want to say anything about that. But one thing I would like to say about Narendra Modi Ji that he is perhaps one of the strongest prime ministers in post-independent India who has been able to provide a strong and stable government,' she added.

Drawing a comparison with coalition governments, Mukherjee said, 'During UPA 1, UPA 2, we have seen that coalition politics has its ups and downs. The problem is that the alliance partners are continuously, in a way, threatening the government. And you can't take any strong policy measures. So Mr Modi has been able to provide a strong and stable government, which is I think, extremely important, especially in today's context when we see this whole geopolitical uncertainty all over the world. So at this time it is absolutely necessary for India to have a strong and stable central government and strong leadership, and I think Mr Modi is the right person to lead India at this very, very critical juncture, especially keeping in mind the world politics.' (ANI)