After Anil Ambani and Sunil Bharti Mittal, Century Textiles and Industries Limited (CTIL) chairman B K Birla has now said that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi should become India’s prime minister. Birla’s remarks came on Thursday at the inauguration of the company’s new textile mill in south Gujarat’s Bharuch district.

Earlier, Ambani and Mittal had described Modi as “prime minister material” during the Vibrant Gujarat Investors Summit in Ahmedabad in January this year.

A visibly pleased Modi responded, saying “Khabarwalo ko khabar mil gayi hai (newsmen have got the news). This will be the headline in tomorrow’s newspapers.” Birla, who kept seated during the entire function stood up just once to make the statement. Modi thanked S K Birla and Kumar Mangalam Birla for completing the work on the mill.

Kumar Mangalam, director, CTIL, said their mill in Mumbai was shut in January, 2008 after which the company decided to set up a unit at Jhagadia.