‘He’s Ram for me’: Modi’s wife says after ex-Gujarat CM Patel claimed PM is bachelor

Recently, a controversy erupted after Madhya Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel told a local Gujarati daily that Modi was unmarried.

Gandhinagar, June 21: The marital status of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has always grabbed headlines. While he is separated from his wife Jashodaben, in his Lok Sabha election nomination papers in 2014, the PM mentioned that he's married. Modi also cited the name of Jashodaben, a retired school teacher in Gujarat, as his wife.

Recently, a controversy erupted after Madhya Pradesh Governor and former Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel told a local Gujarati daily that Modi was unmarried.

Now, Jashodaben has rebutted Patel's claim on Modi's marital status in a video clip shot in the mobile phone of her brother Ashok Modi. In the video, wife of the PM expressed shock and slammed Patel for "tarnishing" the image of Modi. In her statement, Jashodaben said that PM Modi is lord Ram for her.

"I am surprised over Anandiben telling the press that Narendra bhai was not married (to her). He has himself mentioned in his declaration while filing papers for Lok Sabha elections in 2014 that he is married and mentioned my name in it," Jashodaben stated in the video.

Jashodaben added: "It is very unbecoming of a well-educated woman (Anandiben, former Chief Minister of Gujarat) to speak like this of a teacher (Jashodaben). Not only this, her conduct has tarnished the image of the Prime Minister of India. He is very respectable for me, he is Ram for me."

Speaking to IANS from their hometown Uncha in North Gujarat, her brother Ashok Modi confirmed that it was indeed Jashodaben talking in the video.

"We didn't believe this when Anandiben's statement came on social media... But this appeared on the front page of leading paper Divya Bhaskar on June 19. Now this could not be wrong.

"This is why we decided to issue a rejoinder. We together recorded a written statement that Jashodaben read out from our home cell phone," he added.