“For India, the relationship with China is important and significant.It is my belief that we need to urgently address the prolonged situation on our border so that the abnormality in our bilateral interactions can be put behind us,” Modi told Newsweek in an interview.
“Stable and peaceful relations between India and China are important for not just our two countries but the entire region and the world. I hope and believe that through positive and constructive bilateral engagement at the diplomatic and military levels, we will be able to restore and sustain peace and tranquillity on our borders,” he added.
India natural pick of those looking to rejig supply chains’
Asked about Quad, the grouping of India, US, Australia and Japan which China sees as an attempt to encircle it, the PM made it clear that the group was not targeted at any country, but asserted that the four member nations were “demonstrating their vision of a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific”.
Listing out measures taken by his govt, Modi positioned India, a “democratic polity”, as “a natural choice for those looking to diversify their supply chains”.
“Given our strengths, India is now globally considered most suited for manufacturing world-class goods at competitive cost. Apart from producing for the world, the vast Indian domestic market is an added attraction. India is a perfect destination for those who want to set up trusted and resilient supply chains,” Modi said.
Addressing a question on democracy and free press, the PM argued that democracy was in Indian genes. “A democracy like India is able to move ahead and function only because there is a vibrant feedback mechanism. And our media plays an important role in this regard… There are a few people in India and in the West who have lost (connection with) the people of India — their thought processes, feelings and aspirations. These people also tend to live in their own echo chamber of alternate realities. They conflate their own dissonance with the people with dubious claims of diminishing media freedom,” he said.
Modi also dismissed suggestions that there was discrimination against minorities. “These are the usual tropes of some people who don’t bother to meet people outside their bubbles. Even India’s minorities don’t buy this narrative any more,” he said.
Dwelling on the significance of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the PM said he carried with him “the aspirations of countless devotees, (who were) eagerly anticipating this day”. “The return of Shri Ram to his birthplace marked a historic moment of unity for the nation. It was a culmination of centuries of perseverance and sacrifice,” he added.
On leadership, PM Modi said he was a keen listener and suggested that leaders should follow a bottom-to-top feedback channel, with multiple channels of feedback.
“Listening is an important quality for leadership. I am god-gifted with this quality, and I have also cultivated it. Another quality that I have is that I am always in the moment. I am not distracted by phone calls, messages or anything else. When I am doing something, I am 100% involved and engrossed in that task,” he said. He also argued that building new infrastructure was not at variance with India’s position on combating climate change.
“India offers a credible model of how to enhance physical infrastructure and yet be at the forefront of mitigating climate change. Be it lighting 10 million homes through (the) rooftop solar programme or empowering farmers with solar-powered pumps, be it distributing 400 million energy-efficient bulbs and ensuring 13 million efficient streetlights or having one of the fastest adoption of EVs, be it airports or railway stations or bridges, our infrastructure is leveraging renewable energy,” he said.