Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI photo Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PTI photo

Politics is seen best through the lens of time. If politics of old events is seen through the lens of current times, we often get interesting and contrasting results and viewpoints. One of the better examples to highlight this fact is none other than our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi, when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, harboured different views on some issues to the ones he has now as prime minister of the country.

.@narendramodi said he gave more than 1 lakh crore rupees to UP Govt in each year which CM Modi didn’t liked & Trolled him 😉😂😂#LooteraModipic.twitter.com/ZG4V2PGlCa — Invincible (@i_me_my5elf) January 2, 2017

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In several speeches as Gujarat CM, PM Modi had questioned UPA’s grant of ₹10,000 crore to Gujarat. Taking a dig at the UPA government at the Centre and Congress party, then CM Modi kept repeating in rallies, “They say they we have given money… I want to ask. Have you got the money from your uncle? Are we standing like beggars for money?”

In front of cheering crowds, Modi had said: “This is an insult to you. This money doesn’t belong to any government. It belongs to the people of the country.”

When we cut to the present scenario, PM Modi is seen saying opposite lines in campaign speeches. “Since we have come to power, we have given ₹1 lakh crore to the Uttar Pradesh government for expenditure each year through the finance commission. ₹2.5 lakh crore is not a small amount.” In another video of a rally in Bihar, Modi is seen promising ₹1.25 lakh crore special package for Bihar in a freebie manner.

Clearly the statements are contradictory on the same issue of grant of money from the Centre to a state government. From the videos it seems that the CM Modi judged the grants to Gujarat by the UPA as demeaning. But, at the same time PM Modi announces grants of bumper packages to states with thunderous applause. The Samajwadi Party asked for Central grants for several projects. The day Modi announced that he had given that amount of money to UP, Akhilesh sent a dispatch to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley that his government had not received a lot of the fund promised to UP for key projects.

Modi in his rally speech in Lucknow took a dig at Congress, BSP and SP. Modi said ‘one family is trying to establish its son for 15 years (read Congress), a party which is trying to find ways to hoard its black money (seemingly BSP) and another party whose strength is in saving its family (read Samajwadi Party).

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Such a change in views and statements on the large platform has caused massive trolling of the PM. Not that it would have bothered him. He still enjoys great popularity among the masses. The truth is politics changes as times change and situations change. And, PM Modi is not CM Modi.

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