Nellore: Union minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been “deputed by the Almighty (Deva Doota)” and that “he is going to change the profile of the country in the next five years”.

He was addressing a party meeting held here on Sunday, where Nedurumalli Ramkumar Reddy, the son of former chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy, joined the BJP

Mr Naidu talked about various schemes such as Jan Dhan , introduced by Mr Modi for the benefit of the poor and downtrodden. He also criticised the Congress for not including the special status clause in the AP Reorganisation Bill saying that it was an unpardonable mistake.

Referring to burning of his own and the PM’s effigies by the Congress activists on the special status issue, he said “It is okay if they burn my effigy, but torching the Prime Minister’s effigy reflects bad culture.”

The senior BJP leader alleged that the Congress was losing its base everywhere in the country because it had no ideology, policy or principle. He added that 40 seats for a party that ruled the country for longest time is an indicator of the party’s stature.

Taking objection to branding the BJP as a communal party, he said that people of Jammu and Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland, where the Christian population is high, are backing the BJP.

He maintained that the party was beyond caste, creed or community and its agenda is to protect Indian culture and tradition. He made it clear that faith is a private subject, and the BJP respects all faiths.