- Monday, June 17, 2024
The leader was speaking during an interview to India TV where he was asked about the criticism he faced over the abrogation of Article 370 and mockery before his government freed eight Indian nationals who were on death sentence in Qatar.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi has been giving a series of interviews as the country went to a fiercely fought national election. From open air to indoor, from conference tables to stages to riverfronts to rallies, the leader has been found to be speaking with mediapersons candidly.
In an interview to India TV in which he spoke in length, Modi conversed with veteran Indian journalist Rajat Sharma at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi and many of which responses received a wide applause from a sizable audience.
When Sharma asked Modi when his government abrogated Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave the former state of Jammu and Kashmir a special status, was there negative feedback from the Arab world?
Taking some time to articulate his point, the PM said earlier, the world used to blame India when it came to Kashmir and when the sensitive article was repealed, there was an expectation that it would lead to an international backlash.
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“The external world largely remained silent. Those who spoke said it was India’s internal matter. But the unfortunate part is that while the Islamic and Arab world remained silent about it, the opposition Indian National Congress in India made the most noise. I could not understand it. It shows their state of mind,” Modi said.
He also referred to the more recent incident when the Indian government helped in freeing eight nationals of the country who were given death sentences by the authorities in Qatar. “That happened after the Article 370 incident. We brought them back alive,” he said.
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Sharma asked at this point that the opposition often mocked Modi about the Indian nationals getting death sentences in Qatar.
“I heard a lot of opposition people then taunting Modi asking what happened to his calibre and claim to be a Vishwaguru (world leader) when the Indian nationals were jailed in Qatar. They asked why Modi could not do anything to free them? He even called Qatar his second home,” he said.
“Either they have not studied Modi. Or it is easier for them to get some publicity in the media by targeting Modi. Because Modi is such a brand…” the prime minister said, only to be interrupted by a cheering public.
“When they abuse the brand, they themselves get some space in the media. They know there is no point in targeting anybody but Modi,” he added.
He then said his way of functioning is transparent and anybody could predict what Modi would do next if they study him closely. “Even the media don’t. Don’t mind me saying that,” he told Sharma.
“But they love to live with a predefined mindset about Modi and that’s why people fail,” the PM added.
India, under Modi, has witnessed its ties with several Islamic nations improving by far despite incidents such as abrogation of Article 370.
