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Distressed to see Narendra Modi’s mother travelling in an auto rickshaw and living in a small room, Rashid Alvi, a Congress leader, on Wednesday wrote to the Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate volunteering to look after her, as Modi had not provided her with a comfortable life despite his ‘wealth and success’.
“I fail to understand how you could not provide a comfortable life for your mother who spent her entire life trying to ensure a brighter future for you. Your mother is like my mother. I have immense respect for her. I may not be as resourceful as you are, but I would request you to allow me to provide her with all the necessary comforts of life according to my capacity,” Rashid Alvi said in the letter to Modi.
Praising Hiraben, Alvi further added, “You mentioned how she had to work in the neighbouring households to ensure that she could look after you properly. With her dedication and hard work, she brought you up in a way that you not only rose to become the chief minister of a state like Gujarat, but also went on to become the PM candidate of your party.”
He said that he was deeply pained to know that the octogenarian still lived in an 8X8 room. “I was also distressed when I saw that she travelled in an auto rickshaw to cast her vote recently,” he said noting that in Indian culture, when the son does well in life, the first beneficiaries of the success are usually the parents. “Modiji, recently when you filed your nomination, you disclosed assets worth more than Rs 1.25 crore. I am baffled how even as an ordinary person who has so much wealth, you fail to provide the necessary comforts to your mother. We regularly see how you travel in private jets and cavalcades of many luxury cars. We also know of your love for your designer watches and Mont Blanc fountain pens,” he added.
Image: Narendra Modi's mom Hiraben travelled by rickshaw to the polling booth to cast her vote. Photograph: Twitter/@India272