Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first-ever podcast, opened up about significant moments from his political journey, including his experiences during the 2002 Godhra riots and the United States’ decision to deny him a visa in 2005. The podcast, hosted by Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, was released on Friday. 

Recalling the events surrounding the 2002 Godhra riots, Modi shared, “On February 24, 2002, I became an MLA for the first time, and on February 27, I went to the Assembly. I was a three-day-old MLA when such an incident happened in Godhra. We first received reports of fire in the train, then gradually we received reports of casualties. I was in the House, and I was concerned. As soon as I came out, I said I want to visit Godhra.” 

“On Feb 24, 2002, I became MLA for the first time, and on Feb 27, I went to the Assembly. I was a three-day-old MLA when such an incident happened in Godhra. We first received reports of fire in train, then gradually we received reports of casualties. I was in the House,…,”  the Prime Minister described the challenges he faced in reaching the site.

“There was only one helicopter... I guess it was ONGC’s, but they said that since it is a single-engine, they cannot allow a VIP to use it. We had an argument, and I said that I would be responsible for whatever happened” he stated. “I reached Godhra, and I witnessed that painful scene, those corpses. I felt everything, but I knew I was sitting in a position where I had to stay out of my emotions and natural tendencies. I did whatever I could to control myself,” he remarked. 

During the podcast, Modi also revisited the American government’s decision to deny him a visa in 2005 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Reflecting on the incident, he said, “Talking about setbacks, I was the MLA when the American government refused to give me a visa. As an individual, going to America was not a big thing, I had visited before also; but I felt the disrespect of an elected government and the country, and there was a dilemma in my mind as to what was happening.” 

“That day, I held a press conference, where I said that the American government had rejected my visa. I also said that I see an India, where the world will stand in queue for a visa. This is my statement in 2005, and today we are standing in 2025. So, I can see that now, the time is of India,” remarked Modi.

In the conversation, Modi also reflected on leadership, admitting that mistakes are part of being human. He said he is willing to discard old ideas and embrace new ones as long as they fit into his essential ideology of “nation first”.

Noting that one-third seats for MLAs and Lok Sabha members will be reserved for women in near future, the PM said women are already present in local bodies due to 50 per cent reservation for them in many states and asked them to work to become as capable as they can be to prepare themselves for assemblies and Parliament.

The prime minister described himself as not a typical politician, and his time is mostly spent on governance. Asserting that he has never confined himself to a comfort zone, Modi said his risk-taking ability has hardly been utilised. “My risk-taking ability is several times more,” he said, adding that it was because he never bothered about himself.

In his third term, he said he felt more emboldened and his dreams have widened. In first two terms, he used to judge his work by the progress it has made since he began. “Now my thoughts are in the context of Viksit Bharat by 2047,” he added.

On the current trend of evolution of social media, PM said the platform has strengthened democracy by opening up ways to verify information which earlier was available from a handful of sources with little alternatives.