Former lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung met the prime minister on Friday and said that Narendra Modi was a “visionary” and an “exceptional” person who “wants to take minorities along”. He met Modi a day after he stepped down from his post as the L-G of Delhi, reported PTI.

Jung said he had “distinct disagreements” with the Aam Aadmi Party government in the Capital. He met the prime minister for more than an hour but did not reveal any details about their discussion. However, he said he was “completely convinced” of Modi’s “secular values as far as Hindu-Muslim relations are concerned”, reported The Indian Express.

“I believe he wants to take the minorities along,” Jung said. He said he had offered to resign from his post before as well, but continued because Modi had asked him to stay. However, he said he would not change his decision this time. He praised the central government and said he had never received as much “cooperation and guidance” from anybody other than Modi in his 35-year experience as an administrator.

“I have not felt any pressure from the Centre… And I have had distinct disagreements with the government of National Capital Territory.” He said there was no tussle between the Centre and the Delhi government. “Delhi government wishes to interpret the Constitution in its own way and I have to uphold what is the correct version of the Constitution. The central government has never interfered or advised on Centre-GNCTD relations,” Jung said.

“It has been an honour for me to have worked with a visionary person like the prime minister. The cooperation and advice that I have received from him is immense and I wish to thank him,” he said. He said he had offered to resign when the new government was elected to power in 2014 because he was appointed by the previous regime, but the prime minister asked him to continue.

“At the end of three years in August this year, I again said that I have completed three years and though there is no tenure for Lt Governor, three years is a good period. So if you may wish, I move on. He [Modi] said no, no you should continue. And now in December, I said it’s three and half years, Sahab. I have another dimension to life. So I want to leave and that is when he agreed,” Jung said.

Jung’s resignation comes at a time when the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi had locked horns with the lieutenant-governor over administrative matters.