“Sometimes, you get the opportunity to work with someone whom the entire world considers a leader; but in reality, they are a saadhak (ascetic), a karmyogi, an extraordinary human being – that person is Shri Narendra Modi ji. Today is the historic day when Shri Narendra Modi took oath as PM for the first time (in 2014)… but our association is 35 years old,” Chouhan said.

Chouhan’s 11-chapter memoir was released by former PM and Janata Dal (Secular) patriarch H D Devegowda and former Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of several ministers, Chief Ministers and former Members of Parliament.

“In these 35 years, I have seen him live every moment for the nation… We worked together for a long time… I gained inspiration from him… I felt that what I have experienced, what I have learnt, I should dedicate to the nation in the form of a book,” Chouhan said.

Referring to the Ekta Yatra, held during peak militancy in Jammu and Kashmir in 1991, Chouhan said Modi was handed the responsibility of overseeing the nationwide event, which involved smaller ‘yatras’ from across the country culminating at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk with the unfurling of the Tricolour.

“He (Modi) said this Tricolour will not only be unfurled at Lal Chowk, the attempt will be to unfurl it in the heart of each citizen, each youth…On January 23, at Phagwara, terrorists attacked a bus carrying karyakartas travelling for the yatra; six of them were martyred, people thought that the yatra will stop…in Srinagar, terrorists dared ‘…come and unfurl the Tricolour at Lal Chowk, if you return alive, we will reward you’. Narendra bhai had said then, ‘just a few hours remain till January 26, we will decide this at Lal Chowk’,” he said.

Seeking to underline the PM’s futuristic vision, Chouhan said, “When I used to go meet him as president of the Yuva Morcha… he would be hard at work on a computer… he knew even back then that if Bharat’s future is to be made, if Viksit Bharat is to be achieved, technology is essential…”

He said, “When karyakartas like me were not able to fathom the importance of social media, he called me and said ‘tell each MP and MLA… if anyone has less than 50,000 followers, there is a danger over the prospect of them getting a ticket this time…’ today, the farsighted Narendra bhai, (is the one) who organised the AI Summit.”

On the sharing of the Narmada river’s waters between MP and Gujarat, Chouhan said, “Narmada ji is the lifeline of both Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat…for years, Congress governments were hanging fire (on the issue) … on the one hand, the Narmada’s waters were flowing into the ocean, on the other, lakhs of throats were dry in Gujarat, its farms were dry… Narendra bhai called me for a discussion at Gujarat Bhawan… it was decided that reservoirs which have been constructed will be filled, (and) new ones will be constructed…”