It is My Responsibility to Keep Minorities Safe: Modi to TIME

PM Modi’s free-wheeling interview to TIME magazine: on minorities, China, reforms and himself.

In an interview in the latest edition of TIME magazine, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken on a wide range of issues - from religious diversity in India to his view on democracy, to his own roots in poverty.

1. Modi on Minorities

My philosophy, the philosophy of my party and the philosophy of my government is Sabka saath, sabka vikas – “Together with all, progress for all.” Take everybody together and move toward inclusive growth. Wherever a [negative] view might have been expressed [about] a minority religion, we have immediately negated that. So far as the government is concerned, there is ­only one holy book, which is the constitution of India. The unity and the integrity of the country are the topmost priorities. All religions and all communities have the same rights, and it is my responsibility to ensure their complete and total protection. My government will not tolerate or accept any discrimination based on caste, creed and religion.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

2. Modi on Democracy vs Dictatorship

India is a democracy; it is in our DNA. As far as the different political parties are concerned, I firmly believe that they have the maturity and wisdom to make decisions that are in the best interests of the nation. So if you were to ask me whether you need a dictatorship to run India, No, you do not. Whether you need a powerful person who believes in concentrating power, No, you do not. If you were to ask me to choose between democratic values and wealth, power, prosperity and fame, I will very easily and without any doubt choose democratic values.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

3. Modi and Economic Reforms

Six-seven years before 2014, a view started emerging that ‘I’ in the BRIC had perhaps become less relevant or perhaps even a drag on the BRIC grouping. In the last 10 months, the ‘I’ has reclaimed its position in the BRICS. Internationally, whether it is the IMF, the World Bank, Moody’s or other credit agencies, they are all saying in one voice, that India has a great economic future...I have in my mind a very clear outline of the framework of what we are going to do in the next five years...The biggest reform since India’s independence in the field of taxation that is coming up is the GST and it is our expectation that we would start implementing it from the 2016 fiscal year.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

4. On US Pulling Out of Afghanistan 

The drawdown of U.S. troops is, of course, an independent decision of the American government, but in the interest of a stable government in Afghanistan, it would be important to hold consultations with the Afghan government to understand their security needs as the U.S. troops draw down.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

5. Modi on ISIS and Tackling Terrorism

We should pass the U.N.’s Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. At least it will clearly establish whom you view as a terrorist and whom you don’t. We need to delink terrorism from religion – to isolate terrorists who use this interchange of arguments between terrorism and religion. Several countries used to see terrorism as a law-and-order situation of individual countries. We should see it as something that is a fight for human values.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

6. On US-India Relations

We are natural allies … [It’s not] what India can do for the U.S., what the U.S. can do for India … The way we should look at it is what India and the U.S. can together do for the world … strengthening democratic values all over.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

7. Modi on the India-China Relationship

For nearly three decades there has been, by and large, peace and tranquility on the India-China border. Not a single bullet has been fired for over a quarter-century. Both countries are showing great maturity and a commitment to economic cooperation. I firmly believe that the relationship between two countries, should be such that to communicate with each other there should really not be a need for us to go through a third entity.
– Narendra Modi to TIME magazine

Read Narendra Modi’s entire interview to TIME magazine here.

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