A video circulating on social media, from a time before Narendra Modi transformed himself into a national leader and consequently the prime minister of India, has been grabbing eye balls.
In the video, the then chief minister of Gujarat is seen attending a press conference and answering questions coming from journalists and activists from different backgrounds.
When one question pertaining to his thoughts related to ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Hindu Rashtra’ is posed by someone from the audience, his elaborate answer seemingly stuns even a visibly skeptical audience.
The question was – ‘Do you imagine an India that is purely Hindu? Is there a place for Muslims in India, in the future?”.
Modi commences his answer by first declaring, that the question is a problem with the kind of people who don’t understand ‘Hindu’ or ‘Hindutva’ .
He then goes on to give historic examples of the tolerance showed by Indian kings in the past, which allowed people of different religions and backgrounds to live in peace within the community. In the viral video, he is also seen quoting religious text, stating that Hinduism preaches that the truth is one, but there can be multiple ways to interpret the same.
He then goes on to co-relate the complexities of this historic idea of secularism, with the new-age social structure of the country.
Watch his unfiltered and candid video below:
This is perhaps from a time when PM Modi was scrutinized by the international media for his far-right views, prior to taking seat as India’s 14th Prime Minister.
The video is going viral on social media again.