Ahmedabad, Nov.17: With elections less than a month away in Gujarat, Chief Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that he is not a pessimist, and believes that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the two-phased polls.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to ANI, Modi dwelled on a number of issues while declaring himself the future of Gujarat.

Rubbishing surveys that are predicting his eminent defeat in the assembly elections, Modi reiterated that the development of Gujarat would be his top priority after being re-elected.

"I do not believe that the elections decide the fate of a particular individual and I am not a pessimistic person. I am associated with the future of Gujarat. I want the best for my state, hold it in esteem, importance, and therefore, I do not waste my time thinking about consequences. This is an election in which neither the political parties are setting agenda nor the media is doing so, but an election where the agenda has been set by the people of Gujarat, on what would be the future of Gujarat and its development. The parties which would not follow this agenda would be voted out by the people of the state," declared Modi.

To posers about his adversaries and continuous criticism of his tenure, Modi said that such people could not accept the fact that Gujarat is developing and the rate with which it has achieved so much in the recent years.

"For the past five years, Modi has been attacked. People who could not acknowledge the development of Gujarat are trying to fire upon me time and again and defame Gujarat. They can try whatever seems possible to them, but Gujarat won't be defeated. I even have the same mantra in this election 'Gujarat will win' now," confided Modi.

"Why would we be defeated since we are moving ahead with the aim of making Gujarat win. Nobody can defeat Gujarat," added Modi.

He, however, minced no words in condemning the opposition Congress on various issues like its policies, its leadership and even its drive of creating communalism in the name of reservations.

"Congress has no leader and it has not even cleared its policy in the elections. They are only coming up with the slogan of 'Modi Hatao' and have nothing except the negative things to say and do. Such a party has no comparison with BJP," observed Modi.

While answering a question on endorsing Hindutva and communalism, he hit back at the Congress party by saying that "Yhey (Congressmen) have been the primary source of bringing the evil of communalism into the existence."

"When Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is saying that the minority has the first right on the banks and reserves of the country, isn't it a communal divide? The builders and the creator of India said that there would not be any reservation on the basis of religion, but Congress is making reservation on the basis of religion, isn't it a communal divide? When the Government itself appoints a Muslim constable in the Muslim-dominated region, isn't it a communal divide? The people, who are into committing these mistakes and practicing vote-bank politics, should be asked such questions. People who were responsible for dividing India and Pakistan on the basis of religion have no right to ask such questions," said Modi.

"The people who have been anti-Gujarat, have been trying for the past 30 years to impede the Narmada project, but the will-power of Gujarat has defeated all those people and moved ahead with the work of Narmada," reiterated Modi while answering on the much-politicised Narmada project.

He further claimed that his Government has worked in leaps and bounds to make that difference in Gujarat, and during his five years' tenure; he had brought Gujarat into the competitive world scenario.

"The entire world is discussing the progress of Gujarat. The growth rate of Gujarat is much more than any other Asian country. Gujarat has become the petro-capital of the country. Two CNG terminals are here. It (Gujarat) even has the world' biggest oil refineries. It has 2200-kilometer gas grid and various companies have now become multinational companies. All these have been considered as an idol in the country in terms of finance. At one time the State owed a revenue deficit of rupees 6700 crores but today the same is surplus. When an earthquake hit the Kutch region of Gujarat, it went back to normalcy within three years. There are so many things which one can say with pride about Gujarat," said the Chief Minister.

To a question about the priorities of his government, he responded by elaborating the quality of life index (QLI).

"We have taken a vow to serve the people of Gujarat. My priority is the betterment of the poor, every poor should be benefited by the development of Gujarat and the lifestyle of every human being should change for the better. I am hopeful of fulfilling the said promises and have been working with these dreams and would continue to do so," claimed Modi.

He described himself as a realist and an optimist.

"Narendra Modi lives in the present and would continue to do so. He never dreams or thinks blindly about the future and would never practice such blinkered views" he said.

The two-phase polling in Gujarat would be held on December 11 and 16, 2007 while the second and last round of polling in Himachal Pradesh is scheduled for December 19, 2007. (ANI)