PM on 2002: Kar sevaks’ killing acted as spark in tense climate | India News

Lex Friedman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi asserted that a fake narrative was spread to malign his image over the Gujarat riots in 2002, while emphasising that the burning of kar sevaks coming back from Ayodhya acted as a spark at a time when the situation was already tense because of a number of attacks carried out by Islamic terrorist groups in India as well as abroad.
Talking to Lex Fridman, research scientist at MIT and a leading podcaster, Modi listed the terror attacks – hijacking of an Indian Airlines plane to Kandahar, attacks on Red Fort and the J&K assembly, the Al Qaida strike on New York and the attack on India’s Parliament in the months leading up to the Feb 2002 riots which already had public opinion in India tense and on the edge.
“In such situations, a spark is enough to cause disturbance and such a situation had already built up… and then the pilgrims were killed, burnt alive, you can imagine the situation that arose, given the background,” Modi told the famous podcaster who fasted for hours to prepare for the more than three-hour-long conversation with the PM.
“Nothing untoward should have happened, true. I also wish the same,” Modi added. He also took issue with the “narrative” on the 2002 riots being an unprecedented phenomenon, recalling that Gujarat’s communal situation had been traditionally inflammable and minor skirmishes would set off conflagrations.
He also said that while a narrative was built to damage his image, the judiciary had cleared him.
The conversation saw the PM touching upon his equations with RSS by launching into fulsome praise of the Sangh. He said it was his good fortune to be part of the Sangh tradition which places patriotism and public service above everything else. He detailed the activities of different Sangh outfits, focusing on Seva Bharati, Vidya Bharati, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, “perhaps the world’s largest trade union body which unlike the Leftist ones which believe in ‘workers of the world unite’ subscribes to the motto ‘unite the world’ philosophy”.
Modi also praised Mahatma Gandhi had called him “GOAT”. “Mahatma Gandhi wasn’t just a 20th-century leader. His relevance transcends centuries. His legacy will last for centuries to come, and he remains relevant to date.”
This was the second time after his speech at a Marathi literary festival in Delhi in Feb that Modi has publicly lavished praise on RSS: something which was seen through the prism of speculation about their tense ties during the Lok Sabha campaign and because of crucial decisions, like appointment of a new BJP chief, expected shortly.
Modi said RSS teaches that the country is supreme and serving people is like serving God, adding that the organisation gave him a “purpose” in life. “I feel blessed to have got values from such a sacred organisation,” he said.
Asked about the Department of Government Efficiency US President Donald Trump has launched under Elon Musk, Modi said while the initiative has been talked about, he had also tried to improve efficiency in govt and make it more responsive since taking over in 2014. He mentioned the removal of ghost beneficiaries of development schemes, elimination of middlemen and launch of DBT and said it had resulted in saving of Rs 3 lakh crore.