PM Narendra Modi Interview to Indian Express: Narendra Modi during his road show in Varanasi on April 25. Asked about the 2018 Assembly election results, he said, “The Congress could not form a full majority govt in MP, Rajasthan… The results, in a way, were a confidence-builder for party cadres”. (Express photo: Ritesh Shukla) PM Narendra Modi Interview to Indian Express: Narendra Modi during his road show in Varanasi on April 25. Asked about the 2018 Assembly election results, he said, “The Congress could not form a full majority govt in MP, Rajasthan… The results, in a way, were a confidence-builder for party cadres”. (Express photo: Ritesh Shukla) PM Narendra Modi Interview to Indian Express: It’s the last day of campaign for the penultimate phase. Before he leaves 7, Lok Kalyan Marg, on May 10, for his first rally of the day in Rohtak, Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to RAVISH TIWARI and RAJ KAMAL JHA. December 11, 2018, was a setback for you and your party with defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This is May 11. In this time, you have held more than 200 public rallies. What has been your learning? Every pollster, media, Lutyens Club, the Khan Market gang, was eager to defeat us and predictions were being made that we will wind up with about 40 seats in all three states. We were in power for 15 years in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. There was some natural anti-incumbency within the cadre as well as stakeholders. They (the Congress) could not form a full majority government, neither in Madhya Pradesh nor Rajasthan… We had more votes than them (in Madhya Pradesh). So, the results, in a way, were a confidence-builder for party cadres. The public thought that they (the Congress) may have mended their ways but their old habits began surfacing the moment they returned. This news became viral across the country, bundles of notes began re-surfacing. This may not have been corruption for The Indian Express which does investigative journalism — the money meant for feeding the poor kids in Bhopal (being siphoned off) — I take news in The Indian Express very seriously; by and large, it has made a name for itself in the world of investigative journalism. In that, it is still ahead of others. Narendra Modi said, “Rahul Gandhi is Congress president. Can’t a Muslim get that job? Why did he not ensure that?” Narendra Modi said, “Rahul Gandhi is Congress president. Can’t a Muslim get that job? Why did he not ensure that?” Your paper has always been at the forefront of raising issues relating to crime against the backward community. But the horrific rape in Alwar, Rajasthan, missed the relentless follow-up you are known for. Your paper has always been at the forefront of protecting freedom of speech. But when people are booked by police in MP for chanting ‘Modi, Modi’, it missed your front page. Farm loan waiver, unemployment allowance for unemployed youth (were the promise). But the Congress has been busy amassing wealth. So we do not need much to boost the morale of our cadres. This question is because we saw swift steps after the defeat — 10 per cent quota for the economically weaker sections, PM-KISAN, Income Tax relief up to Rs 5 lakh of taxable income and pension for unorganised sector. Seemed there was fear that the defeat would impact the Lok Sabha elections. There was a different reason. There has been a complaint with my government (from the media) that why don’t we get information (about government decisions) in advance? This is your problem. I did not think (of all these steps) after December 11. If you try to find out, you will find that it has taken two years of deliberations on files. When you see Maratha, Jat, Gujjar and Patidar agitations… if such unrest persists, where will the country go? So connecting it with December 11 is part of journalistic limitations. [ie_backquote quote=”“From where did INS (Viraat) come? This is not a new issue… When the Congress president says Army isn’t Modi’s jaagir, I have to say what it is like to have a fiefdom. Rajiv Gandhi is not my issue”” cite=”Narendra Modi” large=”true”] You mentioned unrest in three communities… Do not see it through the prism of only these three communities. The large number of NGOs that operate with support from foreign funds have also been involved in creating an unrest like this. You have been in constant campaign mode, targeting the Opposition for the last five years. This means that even you are their target. Democracy involves negotiations, give-and-take between Treasury and Opposition benches. Doesn’t this constant campaign shrink space for that to happen? Good point. But it lacks one point. Those who ran the government from Vigyan Bhawan and Cabinet rooms (will find) this objectionable. They should be questioned. If the Prime Minister doesn’t keep travelling across the country, how will he be aware of all that is happening? This should be acknowledged — that this Prime Minister does not go travelling on a holiday. If I have gone for a function related to water, I do not speak on anything other than water. If it’s a function related to power, I speak on power. I do not speak on anything other than development. Modi said, “When the cyclone came, I called up Mamataji and Naveenji immediately. I delayed one of my election programmes and took a meeting of disaster management.” Modi said, “When the cyclone came, I called up Mamataji and Naveenji immediately. I delayed one of my election programmes and took a meeting of disaster management.” Except during elections, you will rarely find me speaking against a party or its leaders. Unless there have been some remarks (from the Opposition) that day, which I need to respond to. You can see this from my speeches since the days as Gujarat Chief Minister. This is my commitment… even in Parliament. I will tell you two incidents which I would like The Indian Express to write about in the correct perspective. From where did this INS (Viraat) subject come?<doc-sep>India used Mirage 2000 fighter jets, left, in the airstrike it conducted on Pakistani soil in February. Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Photo: Reuters) discussed the operation in a recent TV interview. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is drawing sharp criticism and ridicule from opposition leaders for remarks he made on clouds and radar during a recent TV interview. Modi was speaking about the airstrike India conducted in Pakistan in February; he said the weather had been bad, and described how he had felt the clouds could help Indian jets escape radar detection. He acknowledged that he was not an expert. Eventually, Modi said, the question of whether or not to change the date of the operation was settled -- he decided to go ahead with it. [Click here to watch this part of the interview. Start listening at 26.00] The Opposition wasted little time in attacking. "On PM Modi's radar and clouds comment, it seems no one clarified for the PM how radars work," said Salman Soz, a Congressman. "If that is the case, then it is a very serious national security issue. No laughing matter!" His party, on the other hand, was in the mood to compose poetry. Jumla hi fekta raha paanch saal ki sarkar mein, Socha tha cloudy hai mausam, Nahi aaunga radar mein. pic.twitter.com/xDeOg4Yq5K Congress (@INCIndia) May 12, 2019 "Pakistani radar doesn't penetrate clouds," said a sarcastic Omar Abdullah, vice-president of Jammu and Kashmir's National Conference party. "This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future airstrikes." CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury said Modi's words were "truly shameful" because they "insult our Air Force as being ignorant and unprofessional". National security is not something to be trifled with. Such an irresponsible statement from Modi is highly damaging. Somebody like this can’t remain India’s PM. https://t.co/wK992b1kuJ Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 11, 2019 The military escalation between India and Pakistan that followed the Balakot airstrike brought the two nations to the brink of war; the escalation took place after a suicide bombing claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammed killed dozens of Indian paramilitary soldiers in Kashmir on February 14.<doc-sep>The Congress on Sunday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement that his image as the prime minister had not been created by the 'Khan Market gang', and could not be 'dismantled'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's interview with The Indian Express published on Sunday has garnered a wide range of reactions from activists and journalists. Modi, in reference to the posh Khan Market area in New Delhi, said that his "image" as the Prime Minister had not been built by the "Khan Market gang" and hence could not be "dismantled". The prime minister was referring to the Lutyens' politicians. "Modi’s image has not been created by the Khan Market gang, or Lutyens Delhi, but 45 years of his toil… good or bad. You cannot dismantle it. But Lutyens and the Khan Market gang created an image for a former Prime Minister, ‘Mr Clean, Mr Clean’." Congress' national spokesperson Sanjay Jha, known for witty one-liners, tweeted, "Khan Market. I guess he doesn't like the name." Jha's tweet is likely to be in reference to one of the Opposition's accusations against Modi, that the communal divide in the country has increased over the last five years that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government has been in power at the Centre. Modi was speaking in reference to the current controversy around his comments on former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, when he called the late Congress leader "Corrupt No 1". The prime minister's comment was also in criticism of Congress president Rahul Gandhi's comment in an interview recently. Rahul had said, "The prime minister can’t stand on a stage and say the things he was saying in 2014. We have dismantled the Prime Minister of India." Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi spoke to reporters after casting her vote in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on Sunday, and said that if Modi had even meditated for 50 hours, "he would not be saying things like this." Activist Jignesh Mevani said Modi has a problem with "liberal bourgeoisie" but industrialists like "Ambani, Adani, and Vedanta group" are Modi's "best friends". Now Modi has a problem with so-called ‘khan market gang’ as it is apparently the only real face of liberal bourgeoisie it seems Lekin apne best friends: Ambani, Adani aur Vedanta Gang ko poora desh bech daalna toh ‘pro-poor’ hai. https://t.co/DvOt7T8kzz — Jignesh Mevani (@jigneshmevani80) May 12, 2019 Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai asked why Modi had made Delhi's elite community his "new enemy", because it is his "voter base". Very engaging, must read interview or PM @narendramodi in @IndianExpress . Although am not clear why the PM chooses to make ‘Khan Market’ crowd his new enemy now since that is his voter base.. time to strip of labels and start dialogue with all sir! https://t.co/VjboXmZrNT — Citizen/नागरिक/Dost Rajdeep (@sardesairajdeep) May 12, 2019 Author Krishan Partap Singh said that Modi's image had "actually" been created by the "Lodhi Garden morning walk gang". Actually Modi’s image was created by “Lodhi Garden morning walk gang”, just down the road from Khan Market... https://t.co/WoZkhZDvkn — Krishan Partap Singh (@RaisinaSeries) May 12, 2019 Author Ashok Swain said, "Khan Market is named in honor of Freedom fighter Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan, brother of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan - Modi, Change its name to Godse Market, in honor of terrorist Gopal Godse, brother of Nathuram Godse!" Swati Chaturvedi, senior journalist, also attempted humour in her response to the interview. She also tweeted, "So after “urban naxals” Khan market is the new enemy for Modi." Modi seemed pretty upset with the @IndianExpress apart from khan market — Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) May 12, 2019 When visiting Khan Market next, avoid cloudy days pic.twitter.com/5fPCw8xF0l — Jairaj Singh (@JairajSinghR) May 12, 2019 Others drew comparisons between the IE interview with Rahul and the one with Modi: I don’t know whose idea it is to get Rahul Gandhi to give relaxed interviews in daylight on the road or at rallies to reporters but it’s working well.Nice contrast with Mr. Modi’s imperial, formal interactions with movie stars & genuflecting big shots in controlled surroundings — vir sanghvi (@virsanghvi) May 11, 2019 What shines through in this Modi interview by Indian Express is Modi’s disgust of his critics, of liberals and of any media that’s not willing to be his propaganda mouthpiece. Especially note his relentless attack on the Express itself. Unseemly. https://t.co/aErSml9ao2 — Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) May 12, 2019 Some senior journalists also criticised the paper for its treatment of the interview. Striking difference between Modi and Rahul’s interview in @IndianExpress. 6 column headline on page 1 plus a 2 page spread for Modi. Single column teaser plus a full page in Sunday paper for Rahul. Will Express explain the differential treatment? — nikhil wagle (@waglenikhil) May 12, 2019 Not a single follow up question. There are some probing questions on muslims and nationalism but he is allowed to get away with his half baked defence. No question on Pragya Thakur, lynchings, govt support to guj riot accused, press conference by PM. https://t.co/DkDnMprOlR — Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) May 12, 2019 Most notably, in an interview that spans various topics including taunts directed at the elite community in Khan Market, Modi spoke about his comments on Rajiv. After calling Rajiv "Corrupt No 1", Modi on 8 May, alleged that Rajiv used the now decommissioned naval warship INS Viraat as a “personal taxi”, during a 10-day trip to Bangaram island in Lakshadweep in 1987. Modi also accused the Gandhi family of compromising national security. In the interview, Modi said that he did speak against Opposition leaders in his campaign speeches unless there are remarks that "he has to respond to". Justifying his allegations against Rajiv over INS Viraat, he said that he had brought it up because Congress president Rahul Gandhi had implied that Modi was trying to use the Indian Army as his "personal property". "From where did this INS (Viraat) subject come? This is not a new issue that I wasn’t aware of. Why did it come?<doc-sep>Prime Minister Narendra Modi was caught in the middle of a troll fest with Twitter almost going hysteric with memes and jokes on the prime minister's "raw wisdom" that a cloud cover could actually hide Indian planes from the Pakistani radar system. These remarks were made in an interview to a TV channel. "We were weighing crucial aspects. Experts were re-thinking the airstrike due to bad weather, but then I said so much cloud cover and rains could be beneficial. We can escape their radar. This was my raw wisdom. I said there could be a benefit. Then I said, there's cloud cover, please go ahead," he said. Ironically, the prime minister's statement from the interview was shared by the official Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and BJP Gujarat Twitter pages. They later deleted the tweets. By then the clip of PM Modi's interview went viral on social media with jokes and memes on his cloud theory. Comedian Kunal Kamra shared morphed pictures of PM Modi in different timelines of some event and fiction series, from Avengers to Game of Thrones, with caption: "PM modi in several timelines giving people the right advice." *PM modi in several timelines giving people the right advice* pic.twitter.com/vpCCse62s8 May 12, 2019 Cartoonist and comedians also joined in and poked fun at PM Modi's understanding of the defence systems. Why did Modi ally with Badals? To escape radar. — Aditya Menon (@AdityaMenon22) May 12, 2019 Sitaram Yechury has filed a complained to the Election Commission and accused PM Modi of mentioning airstrikes to influence voters. "Modi's ridiculous comments on radars, clouds and fighter jets have been deservedly mocked but the EC needs to act against him for invoking armed forces hours before the sixth phase of voting. Letter to EC asking for prompt and strict action on this flagrant violation," he said. Modi's ridiculous comments on radars, clouds and fighter jets have been deservedly mocked but the EC needs to act against him for invoking armed forces hours before the sixth phase of voting. Letter to EC asking for prompt and strict action on this flagrant violation. pic.twitter.com/yVDr0emlJM — Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) May 12, 2019 The BJP has however tried to rubbish the trolls. "Balakot airstrikes are 100% success story. Our jets went and destroyed their targets. So people can say whatever they want but truth is that airstrikes were successful," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said. In fact, he went on to add that there was no breach of national security. "PM Modi hasn't revealed anything which should not be revealed. The Balakot airstrike was a 100% success story. The Air Force declared the same too," he added. Whether bad weather and cloud cover can hinder a radar tracking system is actually debatable. It may, however, influence defence preparedness. PM Modi also said in the interview, "I am surprised that the country's pundits who abused me never figured this out." Some defence experts were of the opinion that his statement was being unnecessarily hyped. "PM Modi said he took the decision on the basis of his understanding. The officials did not tell PM Modi that airstrike should not be done. [He] Did not understand the theory behind it but went with his gut feeling. The opposition is making an issue out of a non-issue," defence expert PK Sehgal said. (With inputs from National Bureau)<doc-sep>
A political row broke out on Sunday over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments in a television interview over the timing of the Balakot air strikes. In this interview, PM Modi had outlined how the government had decided to go ahead with the strike at Jaish-e-Mohammed’s biggest terror training camp despite a cloud cover. “The weather suddenly turned bad. There was a doubt about whether we can strike in bad weather. During a review (of the Balakot plan), experts said what if we change the date. I had two issues in mind. One was secrecy... second, I said I have a raw vision, the clouds can benefit us too. We can escape the radar. Everyone was confused. Ultimately I said there are clouds... let’s proceed,” he told News Nation on Saturday. Read: ‘Will jawans take EC’s permission before shooting terrorists?’: PM Modi When contacted senior Indian Air Force officer, a fighter pilot involved in Balakot strikes planning, said : “The radars, most probably Swedish Giraffe, used by Pakistanis can see through the cloud cover, but the kill system or missile (probably RBS 70) used to bring down the intruder is equipped with an infra-red homing head. It is the infra-red seeker that get degraded during cloud cover. And hence the difficulty in knocking out the intruding fighter.” PM Modi’s comment nevertheless triggered a series of reaction on social media from opposition parties. It didn’t help that the BJP’s Twitter handle, which tweeted the PM’s remark soon after the interview, deleted it later. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah was among the first politicians to take a swipe at the Prime Minister. “Looks like the tweet got lost in the clouds. Luckily there are screen shots floating around to help,” Abdullah tweeted, adding, “Pakistani radar doesn’t penetrate clouds. This is an important piece of tactical information that will be critical when planning future air strikes.” The Left leader Sitaram Yechury said: “National security is not something to be trifled with. Such an irresponsible statement from Modi is highly damaging. Somebody like this can’t remain India’s PM.” “#EntireCloudCover is a blockbuster clip. It will be used in the Indian Institute of Science as a case-study,” national spokesperson of the Congress Sanjay Jha tweeted. On February 27, the Indian Air Force had carried out the airstrikes at the Jaish camp deep inside Pakistan. The government said the strikes were designed to destroy the training camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Pulwama suicide bombing 13 days earlier. Forty CRPF soldiers were killed in the February 14 bombing, the deadliest terror attack on security forces in Jammu and Kashmir in three decades.