PM Modi hails Jayaprakash Narayan, says Emergency damaged India's democratic tradition

PM Modi tributing to socialist leader Jaiprakash Narayan on his 113th birth anniversary on Sunday, PM Modi said that aligations like JP movement, Navnirman movement and Emergency paved way for a new kind of politics in the country.

Speaking at the function which was attended by BJP veteran LK Advani, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, Rajasthan governer Kalyan Singh and NCP Leader DP Tripathi, Modi said," Leadership born during emergency was not one of TV screens. It was leadership to live or die for the nation." So many people in politics today owe their initial days to those days of Emergency and the JP movement. "A new political generation was born," Modi said.

"JP was a person with open mind. He was not restricted to one throught or ideology, Modi said.

"JP as an all party man which was the prime reason why he was could bring about such a change in a country," he added.

"Emergency did a lot of damage to  nation, it was an attack on India's democracy," he said.

Badal is Nelson Mandela for India.

Speaking at the function at Delhi's Vigyan Bhawan, PM described Prakash Singh Nadal, the CM of Punjab as Nelson Mandela of India. "Badal sahab is sitting here, he is Nelson Mandela of India. He has spent so many years in prison and that too for political reasons.

Modi's praise for Jaiprakash Narayan comes at a time when the social reformer's home state Bihar - is set to vote to select new government.

Modi meets Atal Bihari Vajpayee, George Farnandes.