Amit Shah has known PM Modi for more than four decades now.
- "Earlier, there was a lack of spine in the foreign policy of India," said Amit Shah
- PM Narendra Modi has worked towards adding the spine to it, he said in an exclusive conversation with NDTV
- The Union Home Minister was comparing PM Modi's tenure with that of his predecessors
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked towards adding a spine to India's foreign policy, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah. In a conversation with NDTV CEO and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Mr Shah gave his take on how PM Modi's tenure stands out in comparison to his predecessors, including Jawaharlal Nehru - the first Prime Minister of India.
"When historians would compare the era of Modi with other Prime Ministers, the result will be in PM Modi's favour," Mr Shah said when asked how history will remember the eras of PM Modi and Nehru.
Nehru holds the record for the longest tenure as the Prime Minister, with more than 16 years in office. PM Modi, with more than 11 years in office, is the second-longest serving prime minister of India in terms of an uninterrupted tenure. PM Modi also has the distinction of being the longest-serving Chief Minister of Gujarat, with a term spanning from October 2001 to May 2014.
Citing revocation of Article 370, Triple Talaq, among other things, he spotlighted the work done by the Narendra Modi government in just a decade.
"25 crore people have come out of poverty in a decade... the country's economy has climbed from 11th to 4th position. Article 370, Ram Mandir, Triple Talaq, clarifying the definition of citizenship of the country, increasing the respect of the Indian passport throughout the country, all this has been done in just a decade."
Read | "PM Modi Hard Taskmaster When It Comes To Public Good": Amit Shah To NDTV
He then said PM Modi has done the work of adding spine to India's foreign policy, which, he claimed, it lacked earlier.
"In the foreign policy of India, after studying it extensively, I have reached a decision that there was a lack of spine in the foreign policy of India. Narendra Modi has done the work of adding the spine to the foreign policy of India," said Mr Shah, who has known PM Modi for more than four decades now.
The 60-year-old also put a spotlight on PM Modi's journey from a worker at the district level to Chief Minister of Gujarat and then the Prime Minister of India.
"I have seen him very closely. His biggest quality has been that he can mould himself successfully in every role. He has been successful in carrying out all his responsibilities. This is a great quality," he said.
Prime Minister Modi turned 75 on September 17, and to mark the milestone the ruling BJP has launched a 'Sewa Pakhwada', under which the BJP-run governments at the Centre and states have lined up an array of outreach, welfare, development and awareness programmes, ranging from health camps to cleanliness drive, get togethers of intellectuals and fairs to promote indigenous products across the country till October 2.
PM Modi was elected to office in 2014, won a second term in 2019 and was sworn in for a third term in 2024.
