In 2002, shortly after the riots in Gujarat, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee held a press conference in Ahmedabad with Chief Minister Narendra Modi. He said that a ruler must follow raj dharma, the duty of a ruler. “Raja ke liye, shasak ke liye, praja praja main bhed nahin ho sakta hai.” For a king, for a ruler, there can be no discrimination between one subject and another.
Without turning to Modi, he added that he trusted “Narendra bhai” was doing the same. Modi replied: “Hum bhi wohi kar rahe hai sahib.” We are doing the same, sir.