BJP President Amit Shah on Sunday appealed to people in Gujarat not to feel the absence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the political scenario of the state and stated that he was better placed now to work for the development of the state than as its Chief Minister.

Amit Shah said: “There is no need to miss Narendra Modi in Gujarat. He placed Gujarat on the growth map as the Chief Minister, as the Prime Minister he is doing much for the development of the state. Who is more powerful, the Chief Minister or the Prime Minister?”

Shah was answering a question during a town hall video interaction with youth located at 100 places across the State. The event was called Adikham Gujarat (Resolute Gujarat) where the BJP chief claimed to have addressed one lakh youth by taking questions through the social media. He said, “Today I am not a politician, but a professor.” He claimed 3.5 lakh questions had come and this spoke of the expectations and hopes from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Amid applause at the jam-packed Deendayal Hall, a questioner asked: “Politically we feel the absence of Narendra Modi and the scenario does not look the same after he has gone. What does the party intend to do?”

Shah grinned and said, “As the Prime Minister, he is helping in Gujarat’s development by taking decisions at the snap of a finger. Within 10 days of assuming power in Delhi, the permission to increase the height of the Narmada dam came. And now he has ensured the radial gates are put at the dam.”

“He travels across India with the interests of Gujarat in his mind and heart. Modi is very much here.”

Another questioner praised the Narendra Modi government for demonetization as an effort to put an end to corruption in high places but wanted to know what was being done at the lower echelons of the government structure. In reply, Shah said, “We are doing a lot. An example of this is the direct benefit transfer scheme that we brought where subsidy benefits to poor are deposited directly in their bank accounts.”

“This amount works out to a whopping Rs 59,000 crore. By the direct benefit transfer initiative, we have stopped corruption to the tune of Rs 59,000 crore. No media, no journalist had exposed this huge corruption because it was not visible,” the BJP chief said.

The youngsters in the state were asked to send questions through Twitter, Facebook or by giving a missed call on 7878182182 and register themselves to send questions. Alternatively, they could ask questions on www.adikhamgujarat.com.