Shukla Recalls Modi's Early Tech Love: Brought Computer to Pre-CM Interview

Rajeev Shukla said that he got to know Narendra Modi, who served as a BJP general secretary, at the residence of late BJP leader Arun Jaitley and had interviewed him for the 'Rubru' programme.

"The programme was quite popular and Modiji had come for it. It was possibly his first TV exposure," We used to meet at Jaitley ji's residence and I knew him...I saw during the interview that he had brought a small computer with him," Shukla told ANI in an interview.

He noted that Narendra Modi was a "big personality" at that time.

Asked if he felt at that time that Narendra Modi would become Chief Minister and later Prime Minister, Shukla said he did not feel so.

"I did not feel like that. He (Narendra Modi) said in the interview that he did not want to do electoral politics and do organisational work," Shukla said.

Answering a query, he said Arun Jaitley also did organisational work at that time and was very apt at backroom management for the party.

"Modiji was a man of the organisation...how to expand the organisation, win polls in states," he said.

Shukla said that while Narendra Modi had stated that he was not interested in electoral politics, he had to go to Gujarat because of the situation that was created.

"From there, his path was opened and he is sitting here," Shukla said.

Narendra Modi worked as a national secretary of BJP from 1995, looking after the party's activities in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

As the BJP's general secretary organisation, he worked to ensure the BJP won the 1998 Lok Sabha elections. It was in September 2001 that he received a phone call from then Prime Minister Vajpayee, which opened a new chapter in his life, taking him from the rough and tumble of organisational politics to the world of governance.

During his 13 years in office as Gujarat Chief Minister, Narendra Modi took several pro-people initiatives and laid thrust on proactive good governance. He took the oath as the Prime Minister of India on May 26, 2014.

Regarded as a tech-savvy Prime Minister, PM Modi has emphasised use of technology to enhance the ease of living for the common people.

Asked whether the Congress party had any problem with his meeting with BJP leaders, Shukla said the Gandhi family or the Congress party had never asked him not to maintain relationships.

"I think there is a lot of freedom in the Congress Party," he said.

Shukla is a Rajya Sabha MP, Vice President of BCCI and a Member of Congress Working Committee. He has been a union minister and was also the IPL Chairman.

- ANI