2002 riots: Modi's 'puppy' remark triggers fresh controversy.
Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."
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Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has said that he had done "absolutely right thing" in 2002 when the state was hit by riots and that an SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a "thoroughly clean chit".
In a rare interview to Reuters news agency in his official residence in Gandhinagar, the first since he was appointed the chief of BJP election campaign committee in June, Modi was asked if it was frustrating when many people define him by 2002.
He responded by saying that he would feel guilty if he had done something wrong. "Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."
Asked if he regretted what had happened, the Gujarat strong man was quoted by Reuters as saying that the Supreme Court had created a Special Investigating Team which in its
report had given him a "thoroughly clean chit, a thoroughly clean chit".
"Another thing, any person if we are driving a car, we are a driver, and someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will be painful or not? Of course, it is. If I'm a chief minister or not, I'm a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad."
Modi was asked if he had done the right thing in 2002. "Absolutely. However much brainpower the Supreme Being has given us, however much experience I've got, and whatever I had available in that situation and this is what the SIT had investigated," he replied.
"I'm a nationalist. I'm patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I'm a born Hindu. So yes, you can say I'm a Hindu nationalist," he said. At the same time, "as far as progressive, development-oriented, workaholic ... there's no contradiction between the two. It is one and the same image," he emphasized.
Answering a question about being regarded as a polarising figure, Modi cited the example of Democrats and Republicans in the US to emphasise that polarisation was "democracy's basic nature".
Reacting to Modi's interviews, JD (U)'s KC Tyagi said: "With elections coming in we will get to read such comments. He hasn’t said anything new and has been reiterating what he said in the past.
Slamming the Gujarat CM, Shivanand Tiwari, JD-U said,"Narendra Modi’s comments portray that he doesn’t believe in taking all communities along."
“What does Modi mean by saying 'if a puppy comes under a car?' Is he equating Muslims with puppies? It is very disturbing,” said Kamal Farooqi, general secretary, Samajwadi Party.
"Modi has said what was in his heart.He has rightly said that he is a leader of only Hindus and not others," Arjun Modhwadia, Gujarat Congress leader said.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman addressing a press conference appealed to everyone to read the interview properly and not misinterpret his statements.
“It is despicable that people think Modi compared a certain community to a puppy,” she said.
SOURCE...ABP News Bureau and PTI
Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."
**********************
Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has said that he had done "absolutely right thing" in 2002 when the state was hit by riots and that an SIT set up by the Supreme Court had given him a "thoroughly clean chit".
In a rare interview to Reuters news agency in his official residence in Gandhinagar, the first since he was appointed the chief of BJP election campaign committee in June, Modi was asked if it was frustrating when many people define him by 2002.
He responded by saying that he would feel guilty if he had done something wrong. "Frustration comes when you think 'I got caught. I was stealing and I got caught.' That's not my case."
Asked if he regretted what had happened, the Gujarat strong man was quoted by Reuters as saying that the Supreme Court had created a Special Investigating Team which in its
report had given him a "thoroughly clean chit, a thoroughly clean chit".
"Another thing, any person if we are driving a car, we are a driver, and someone else is driving a car and we're sitting behind, even then if a puppy comes under the wheel, will be painful or not? Of course, it is. If I'm a chief minister or not, I'm a human being. If something bad happens anywhere, it is natural to be sad."
Modi was asked if he had done the right thing in 2002. "Absolutely. However much brainpower the Supreme Being has given us, however much experience I've got, and whatever I had available in that situation and this is what the SIT had investigated," he replied.
"I'm a nationalist. I'm patriotic. Nothing is wrong. I'm a born Hindu. So yes, you can say I'm a Hindu nationalist," he said. At the same time, "as far as progressive, development-oriented, workaholic ... there's no contradiction between the two. It is one and the same image," he emphasized.
Answering a question about being regarded as a polarising figure, Modi cited the example of Democrats and Republicans in the US to emphasise that polarisation was "democracy's basic nature".
Reacting to Modi's interviews, JD (U)'s KC Tyagi said: "With elections coming in we will get to read such comments. He hasn’t said anything new and has been reiterating what he said in the past.
Slamming the Gujarat CM, Shivanand Tiwari, JD-U said,"Narendra Modi’s comments portray that he doesn’t believe in taking all communities along."
“What does Modi mean by saying 'if a puppy comes under a car?' Is he equating Muslims with puppies? It is very disturbing,” said Kamal Farooqi, general secretary, Samajwadi Party.
"Modi has said what was in his heart.He has rightly said that he is a leader of only Hindus and not others," Arjun Modhwadia, Gujarat Congress leader said.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman addressing a press conference appealed to everyone to read the interview properly and not misinterpret his statements.
“It is despicable that people think Modi compared a certain community to a puppy,” she said.
SOURCE...ABP News Bureau and PTI
