Modi says world trusts India

Underlining that “the world trusts us because there is no duplicity in us”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Friday while “we are not neutral… I will cooperate in every effort” for peace, be it between “Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine”.

In a conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamat, Modi said India’s standing in the world had increased because of its actions.

“The world trusts us because there is no duplicity in us. What we say is clear. We repeatedly said we are not neutral. I am in favour of peace, and I will cooperate in every effort for it. I tell this to Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine. Our credibility has increased because of this. The world thinks that India says what it believes.”

“In Abu Dhabi, when I wanted a temple for Hindus, I got it from the Crown Prince in a moment. What a happy moment this was for crores of Hindus,” he said.

PM Modi, tweeting the trailer of the podcast on Thursday night wrote, “I hope you all enjoy this as much as we enjoyed creating it for you!”

He recalled how Chinese President Xi Jinping once told him that they shared a “special connection”.

He said when he became Prime Minister in 2014, “President Xi, during a courtesy call, said to me he wished to come to India, travel to Gujarat, Vadnagar in particular. I said he was most welcome. He said we share a special connection.”

Modi quoted Xi as telling him that the Chinese scholar Hiuen Tsang, when he travelled to India, stayed for long in his village Vadnagar and in Xi’s village when he returned to China.

For the first time in several years, he spoke of the Godhra train burning incident and the criticism that followed the Gujarat riots in 2002.

Responding to a question on how he dealt with anxiety, he recalled the 2002 incidents. “On February 24, 2002, I first became MLA. On February 27, I went to the (Gujarat) Assembly for the first time. Within three days as MLA, news came of the Godhra carnage. I said I want to go to Godhra, taking a helicopter from Baroda. There was just a single-engine ONGC helicopter available at that time. They refused, saying a VIP cannot be flown in a single-engine helicopter. I said I would give an undertaking in writing that I was willingly taking the risk. I took the helicopter to Godhra, and saw the bodies. I felt restless but I knew that in my post (as CM), I had to control myself and rise above emotions.”

He also mentioned how he was denied a visa to the US after the Gujarat riots. “I was an elected Chief Minister here, and the US refused to give me a visa. I felt this was an insult to the country and an elected government, just because some people spread some lies. I addressed a press conference that day and said I want an India where the world will stand in a queue for our visa. I can see the time now is India’s,” he said.

Stating that becoming a politician was one thing and succeeding in politics quite another, Modi said the latter required living among the people and associating with their lives. He said becoming a politician was not the same as becoming an MLA or MP alone, emphasising that dedication and commitment were far more important. Oratory, he said, could stand a politician in good stead for a while, but communication was more than oratory. (IE)

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