Photo | Truth Social / Narendra Modi
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expansive conversation with a foreign podcaster revealed his perspective on a range of issues, including the 2002 Godhra riots and his mutual admiration club with US President Donald Trump. That Modi loves the camera is well known. What came through during the interaction with popular American podcaster Lex Fridman was his patience in recording his thoughts—for three hours, if the format was comfortable. The last press meet the prime minister faced was at the Oval Office with Trump alongside, where his laudatory references made the host positively glow. Modi perhaps is the only leader of a major democracy to openly vibe with Trump at a time the world is roiling under retaliatory tariffs, saying they shared a bond of mutual trust even when the latter was out of office. The podcast showed the trust is not shallow. Modi said their similar visions of putting their respective national interests above everything created resonance.
The prime minister contextualised the Gujarat riots by recalling the chain of events that led to an atmosphere of distrust in 2002. It included the December 1999 Kandahar hijack of an Indian plane, the Red Fort attack in Delhi in 2000, the bombing of Twin Towers in the US in September 2001, the terror attack on the J&K assembly in October 2001, and the December 2001 bid to storm parliament. Burning alive a train compartment full of kar sevaks in Godhra lit the fuse, he said, and railed against his political opponents for creating a false narrative through ‘misinformation’, though the judiciary finally cleared his name.
Modi’s clarity in his foreign policy initiatives was evident. He was caustic about Pakistan, claiming every attempt at fostering peace has been met with hostility and betrayal. On China, he referred to the recent normalisation of ties, adding that cooperation between the two is essential for global peace. As for Ukraine, he said the two sides have to sit across the table to end the war. The popular podcast was dubbed in multiple languages including English and Hindi with the help of artificial intelligence. However, Modi had the last word on the technology: “No matter what the world does with AI, it will remain incomplete without India.” Well said.
