‘Pandit ji was a philosopher, PM Modi a practical man,’ Ex-Nagaland CM distinguishes two leaders

New Delhi:  With Prime Minister Narendra Modi surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru as India’s longest serving elected Prime Minister – 4,398 days (between 1952-1964) to 4,399 days, SC Jamir, a political veteran from Nehru’s era, has drawn out a rare yet unique distinction between the two leaders.

“Panditji was a philosopher. Modi ji is a practical man. That’s the difference,” SC Jamir said, pointing to the sharp differences in the demeanour and governance approach of the two Prime Ministers.

Notably, SC Jamir is a former Chief Minister of Nagaland and had also served as Parliamentary Secretary to Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, during his initial years.

Jamir’s unique perspective on the contrasting differences between two leaders comes to light as PM Modi completes 4,399 days in office and becomes the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister in continuous elected tenure.

The ‘stark revelations’ by SC Jamir have been shared by Modi Story, a popular social media handle dedicated to sharing details of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inspiring life journey.

In the video shared, Jamir points out that, unlike Nehru, PM Modi’s approach is marked by his personal involvement in issues.

“Pt Nehru largely worked through officers and institutions, whereas Modi engages directly,” he says.

“If you raise an issue with him, he addresses it personally without intermediaries. This direct approach gives Modi firsthand knowledge of challenges across the country, including in the North-East, whereas many concerns during Nehru’s time often did not reach the Prime Minister through layers of administration,” recalls Jamir.

“In those days, we were heavily influenced by British etiquette and administrative culture. Today, we have our Indian model, making Prime Minister Modi far more accessible. Modi ji speaks openly and expresses freely, unlike many of his predecessors,” says Jamir.

He further stated that the country’s North-East remained neglected for far too long, but things changed after Modi took charge.

“The scale of funding and development support we receive today is something we could hardly have imagined earlier. When I was Chief Minister, budgets often ran into just 10-20 crores. But today the investments are on an entirely different scale,” former Nagaland CM recounted.

He further adds that “one of the most significant achievements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership has been the progress in the Naga peace process.

“For the first time, Naga underground groups agreed to sign two landmark political agreements,” says Jamir.

He also pointed out a shift in India’s economic philosophy.

The Nehru government followed a Russian model of planned economy. Everything was controlled through licences. Therefore, we could not develop like we are doing now under PM Modi,” he says.

Jamir further praised the governance under PM Modi’s leadership, stating that the shift in economic policy is helping India emerge as one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies.

IANS