You have spoken about the aura of Narendra Modi Ji. You have experienced it. It has drawn you away from the world of music and parachuted you into the rough and tumble of politics. Can you describe the aura?

My music has taken me a lot, made me traverse Gujarat a lot. I have done a lot of shows in Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, a lot of that. And we are all aware of what happened after 2003, how the image of our now Hon’ble PM who was the then CM of Gujarat, was tarnished. He was accused of a lot of wrong doings. In spite of getting exonerated by the Supreme Court the opposition does not let go of any chance to unnecessarily hurt him. Now during my travels to Gujarat for my musical programmes I became close to a lot of people. I discovered that not only is Gujarat a state that is truly vibrant and growing, people from every community were happy there because they were getting employment. The atmosphere was cordial. It is one state where you could sense a great deal of positivity. So Narendra Modi as CM was always an intriguing figure for me. An opportunity came in the form of a little moment that occurred on a flight with Baba Ramdev Ji. When a choice of a political career came and the subject was broached, I knew that if there was any one leader for whom I’d love to work, it would have to be Narendra Modi Ji. I am happy that not only did the move pay off, I won a near impossible seat from West Bengal. Then the PM was kind enough to give me a ministerial berth so early into my Parliamentary days.

Do you miss your days as a playback singer?

You do not miss anything in life. You do stuff from which you move on, and some things forever remain a part of your personality. Now music defines who I am. Politics did not bring me to politics, music did. I have absolutely no history in politics. I was not in politics, nor had I achieved anything in politics.

It is not politics that has brought me here, it is a result of my connection with the people as a singer, the love I received from them, that has brought me to politics. I, of course, have to do some good work to return the favour to the people who’ve showered me with so much love. Music recharges me. Like you have to recharge your mobile each day to ensure it runs properly, likewise it is with me and music. In fact, I’ve realized that politics has allowed me to grow as a singer. My singing has become better than before.