An emotional PM: Narendra Modi's break-down moments

At Facebook headquarters Modi broke down while speaking to CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the hardships his mother faced in bringing him up

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, known to be a rock-solid, tough-talking, astute politician, is surely not without a softer side. And, there are occasions when he lets that be known. On Sunday, he again revealed his emotional self before a crowd at the Facebook headquarters when he broke down while speaking to CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the hardships his mother faced in bringing him up. 
 

“When we were young, what we did to get by … she went to our neighbors’ houses nearby [to] clean dishes, fill water, do hard chores. So you can imagine what a mother had to do to raise her children,” said Modi in a broken voice.
 

“My mother has played a very big role in my life. I come from a very poor family... you probably know that I used to sell tea at the railway station... No one can imagine that such a big democracy of this world has made a tea seller its leader. And, therefore, firstly I want to thank those 1.25 billion Indians who made such an ordinary person like me their own,” he said.

This was not the first time when Modi had become emotional in public. Business Standard looks at the recent incidents when the PM showed his softer side to the world.

1. The ‘surge ahead’ Gujarat moment

On May 21 last year, Modi fought back his tears as he wished Gujarat should “surge ahead” after his departure from the state and sought forgiveness if he had done “anything wrong”. This was when Modi was moving out of the state to charge at the Centre.
 

Addressing members of the Gujarat Assembly, he said: “Forgive me if I have done anything wrong. This is my fourth term as chief minister. As I am going now and don’t know when I will come back here, I want you to forgive me if you have felt that I was not up to the mark in my work or there was any shortcoming in my conduct.”

2. With BJP MPs at a Parliament meeting 
 

On May 20 last year, Modi, then PM-designate, became emotional during the Parliamentarian meeting at the Central Hall and cried in front of all BJP MPs and leaders. During his half-an-hour speech, Modi broke into tears when he responded to senior party leader L K Advani’s speech by saying “Please don’t use the word kripa (blessing) while talking about me, Advaniji.”
 

He said: “Can a son ever do his mother kripa? The party is my mother, it has done me the favour of giving me a chance to serve it.” Many other BJP leaders also got emotional.

3. Emotional before top bankers
 

On April 3 this year, while addressing top bankers at a function to celebrate the Reserve Bank of India’s 80th anniversary, Modi became emotional at one point. He said how a surrendered subsidised gas cylinder by the rich could dramatically change the life for a poor household.

“In true financial inclusion, when you surrender your subsidised gas cylinder, that will go to a poor person’s house where that housewife who has been burning firewood to cook… and rear her children amid the polluting smoke… will no longer have to do so. Tell me, is it not service?”

4. A visit to the Belur Math

On May 11 this year, Modi made an emotional visit to the Ramakrishna Math and the Mission headquarters at Belur Math, which had turned down his request to join the monastic order thrice in the past. The prime minister sat near the slippers of Swami Vivekananda to meditate for around 15 minutes. He looked visibly emotional after reaching the room where Vivekananda’s relics were kept, according to a report in The Indian Express.