Rejected US visa due to Xi ties, Modi shares views on key topics | Latest news India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the US decision to deny him a visa in 2005, when he was chief minister of Gujarat, was an insult to the elected government, the state and the country, adding that he was certain of at the time. that one day the whole world will queue up to enter India.

In a two-hour podcast with Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath, Modi discussed a range of topics: he said Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping told him about their special bond; that Mahatma Gandhi and VD Savarkar may have taken different paths but shared a common ideology of freedom; and that his life's mantra was that he could make mistakes as a human being, but should never do anything with bad intentions.

I was the chief minister of a democratically elected government when the US government refused to give me a visa. As an individual, going to America was not a big thing, I had visited it before; but I felt the lack of respect from an elected government, the state and the country. I was faced with a dilemma, what was happening? How come some people spread lies and this happens?

Modi said he held a press conference on the same day in which he informed people that the US government had rejected his visa. I also said that I saw an India where the world would queue up to get a visa. This is my statement from 2005, and today it is 2025. So, I can see that now is India's time, he said.

In the podcast, Modi said it was his life's mantra that he might make mistakes but he would not do anything with bad intentions. When I became the chief minister, I said that I would spare no effort to work hard. I won't do anything for myself. And I'm human and I can make mistakes. But I won't do anything bad with bad intentions. I made it a mantra of my life. Mistakes are inevitable. I must have made mistakes. I am also a human, not a god, he added.

The Prime Minister spoke about the importance of idealism in politics, noting that Mahatma Gandhi and Savarkar charted different paths but their ideology was freedom.

Idealism is much more important than ideology. Without ideology, there is no politics. However, idealism is essential. Before independence, the ideology (of the freedom fighters) was freedom. Gandhi had a different path, but his ideology was freedom. Savarkar followed his own path, but his ideology was freedom, the Prime Minister said.

The comment comes at a time of fierce debate between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress over the role played by Savarkar in the freedom movement and its legacy.

He then summarized his ideology as nation first. If I have to let go of old ideas, I'm willing to let go of them. I am ready to accept new things. but the reference should be the nation first. I only have one setting and I don't change it, he said.

Modi explained his relationship with Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping and revealed a common bond with the Chinese pilgrim Hiuan Tsang who traveled across India in the 7th century.

In 2014, when I became Prime Minister, I received courtesy calls from all world leaders congratulating me. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping called me and congratulated me. During the call, he said he wanted to visit India, especially Gujarat, my village Vadnagar, Modi said. I welcomed him.

Xi said there is a special bond between us. I asked: What connection? He replied that it was the Chinese philosopher Hiuan Tsang who spent the most time in your village. And when he returned to China, he also stayed in my village. So we both have this bond, Modi said.

The Prime Minister also spoke about how India was perceived in the world and India's stand for peace amid raging global conflicts. We have confidence, we do not apply double standards, during this crisis we said that we were not neutral, we were in favor of peace. I told Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Palestine and Israel. They trust what I say, which is why India's credibility has increased. Indians also know that their country will save them, and the world also knows that we are reliable.

The Prime Minister recalled how India helped evacuate its citizens and those of Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh during the global pandemic.

In the podcast, Modi shared details of his childhood in Gujarats Vadnagar, where he was born and educated, his political journey from party worker to Prime Minister and his views on politics.

He spoke about his experience and aspirations as head of government. In the first trimester, people were trying to understand me, and I was trying to understand Delhi. In the second term, I was thinking from the perspective of the past. In the third term, my way of thinking has changed, my morale is good and my dreams have grown. I only think about 2047 and Viksit Bharat, the Prime Minister said.

Modi said his ability to take risks was not yet fully utilized and added that while political speeches were a necessity during elections, he preferred to focus his attention on administrative matters. In a democracy, voters are also politicians, they decide who to vote for. I'm not like the so-called politician. I only give speeches during elections, I don't like it, but I have to do it. Otherwise, my time is spent on governance, previously it was on organization, he said.

The Prime Minister then cited the example of Gandhi and said that speech was not the only way to win the people's vote. Communication is more important than bhashankala (oratory)… Gandhi ji was frail and his oratory was not much greater than him, but he was a believer in ahisma (non-violence). He did not wear a topi (cap), but the world wears a Gandhi cap…he never contested elections, but after his death this place is known as Raj Ghat, he said declared.

Modi went on to say that politics is not just about contesting elections. Some people are lucky. They don't have to do anything but they still get benefits. I don't want to get into the reasons, he said in a veiled reference to dynastic politicians.