Blitz Bureau
From his “special connect” with Chinese premier Xi Jinping to his visa rejection in 2005 by the US, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about a range of issues in a two-hour podcast with Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath, on January 10. Herewith, we carry a few excerpts:
US visa denial: PM Modi said the decision by the US to deny him a visa in 2005 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat was an insult of an elected government, the state and the country, adding that he was certain at the time that one day, the whole world will be standing in queue to enter India.
“I was the Chief Minister of a democratically elected Government when the American Government refused to give me a visa. As an individual, going to America was not a big thing, I had visited before also; but I felt the disrespect of an elected Government, the state and the country. I was in a dilemma, what was happening? How could it be that some people spread lies and this happened?” Modi said he held a press conference the same day where he informed the people that the American Government had rejected his visa. “I also said that I see an India where the world will stand in queue for a visa. This is my statement in 2005, and today we are standing in 2025. So, I can see that now, the time is of India,” he said.
No bad intentions: PM Modi said it was his life’s mantra that he might make mistakes but would not do anything with bad intentions. “When I became chief minister, I said I will not spare any effort to work hard. I will not do anything for myself. And, I am human and I can make mistakes. But I will not do anything wrong out of bad intentions. I have made it a mantra of my life. Mistakes are inevitable. I must have made mistakes. I am a human too, not a god,” he added.
Idealism & ideology: The PM spoke about the importance of idealism in politics, noting that Mahatma Gandhi and Savarkar charted different paths but their ideology was freedom.
“Idealism is far more important than ideology. Without ideology, politics can’t happen. However, idealism is very much required. Before Independence, the ideology (of freedom fighters) was freedom. Gandhi had a different path, but the ideology was freedom. Savarkar took his own path, but his ideology was freedom,” the PM said.
He went on to summarise his ideology as “nation first”. “If I have to leave old ideas behind, I am ready to discard them. I am ready to accept new things. But the benchmark should be ‘nation first’. I have only one parameter and I don’t change it,” he said.
Chinese Premier: PM Modi elaborated on his relationship with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and unveiled a common connection – the Chinese pilgrim Hiuan Tsang who travelled through India in the seventh century.
“In 2014, when I became the PM, I got courtesy calls from all the world leaders to congratulate me. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping called and congratulated me. During the call, he said he wanted to visit India, specifically Gujarat, my village Vadnagar,” said the PM. “I welcomed him.” “Xi said there is a special connection between us. I asked, What connection? He replied, the Chinese philosopher Hiuan Tsang spent the longest time in your village. And when he returned to China, he also stayed in my village. So, we both have this connect,” he said.
Global perception: The PM also spoke about how India was perceived globally and the Indian stance of standing for peace amid raging global conflicts. “There is confidence in us, we do not have double standards, during this crisis, we said we are not neutral, we are in favour of peace. I said this to Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Palestine and Israel. They have faith in what I say, that is why India’s credibility has gone up. Indians too know their country will save them, the world too knows we are dependable.”
