Hyderabad, Sep 3 (PTI) Authors have effectively brought out Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in the book Modi@20 and the country is indeed fortunate to have a leader like him, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday. Speaking at a symposium on ‘Modi@20 – The making of a New India’ held here on Saturday, she recalled the writings of several personalities, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, actor Anupam Kher and agricultural economist Ashok Gulati in the book “So, the authors have actually given a beautiful picture of what our Prime Minister is made of. We are indeed very fortunate. You may think that I am a member of his council of ministers, I belong to the party to which he is a senior leader and therefore I am saying this. I would say it anytime, anywhere, even if I weren’t in the BJP. But, India is lucky to have a leader like this during this time,” she said. “This is not a statement of flattery. I honestly want you take it. I am sure there are a lot of them out there, my political opponents who will say, ‘oh, my god, she is doing such brazen ‘chamchagiri’. I don’t mind,” she said. She spoke about the achievements of Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat and later as Prime Minister and what the authors in the book have said. The achievements include growth in agriculture in Gujarat, foreign policy, including taking care of India’s neighbours, handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts on the development of aspirational districts and financial inclusion. BJP MP K Laxman and former BJP MLC N Ramachander Rao were among those who spoke on the occasion. PTI SJR NVG