Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 15 (IANS) Kerala BJP President Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday fondly remembered his first “game-changing” meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which took place way back in 2012 when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.
“It was in 2012 that I first sought an audience with Narendra Modi ji. I was still an independent MP then, six years into public life, my journey marked more by questions than answers. I travelled to Ahmadabad with little expectation, and yet what greeted me there left an impression that has never faded,” he said in a video shared on his X handle.
“On his desk lay a small stack of my own writings, essays and reflections I had published years earlier. When I introduced myself, he did not settle for the perfunctory nod of a busy statesman. He instead asked me about a piece I had written on governance in 2010, recalling it with such precision that I was left momentarily speechless.”
“For the first time in my political life, I felt the rare privilege of being heard, not as a name on a roster, not as a fleeting acquaintance, but as a mind engaged in thought. The words spilled from me then, long held back. He listened with patience, never interrupting, his interest genuine. As our meeting drew to a close, I asked if I might return to him again, to continue such exchanges. His answer was brief but generous: ‘Aate Rahiye’.”
“From that day forward, I would meet him every few weeks, spending brief yet invaluable minutes in conversation. Those sessions were not merely discussions; they were lessons. They broadened my horizon, sharpened my conviction, and reminded me that true leadership lies not only in building a nation, but in nurturing those who would help build it alongside you. That first encounter remains etched in my memory; when I first recognised how @NarendraModiji is not just a leader who speaks of growth, but one who cultivates it in others,” the businessman and former Union Minister said.
Chandrasekhar, 61, was a three-time member of the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2024. He served as Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti in the second Modi government from 2021 to 2024.
In 2024, he entered his first Lok Sabha contest from the Thiruvananthapuram constituency to take on three-time sitting MP Shashi Tharoor.
Though he lost by over 15,000 votes, he gave a fright to the flamboyant Congress MP. When many felt that his political future was over, in March this year, he was named as the head of the state BJP unit.
–IANS
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