Stop seeing India through the prism of Pakistan: Narendra Modi

PM tells Times Now that India has consistently tried to improve ties with Pakistan, but Pakistan has been creating hurdles

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the media to stop seeing India through the prism of Pakistan.

"I want to tell the media to stop looking at everything in India through the prism of Pakistan," Modi told Times Now in an interview.

Asked about the India-US ties and the interference of Pakistan, Modi said: "India is an independent country. Whenever it approaches any country, it will only be concerned about its own interests."

Modi said that India's sincerity in improving ties with Pakistan is evident to the world and it's Pakistan which is creating hurldes in ironing out differences between the two nations.

"Who do you talk to in Pakistan? Govt, army or non-state actors?" the PM told Times Now, adding India has done everything in its capacity to build a strong relationship with India, and the government works as a team on issues of foreign policy.

"India has always wanted friendly ties with its neighbours, there can be no debate around it. We want to live in harmony and peace. And I have said it repeatedly, that India has to fight poverty, Pakistan too has to fight poverty, why don't we come together to fight poverty?"he said.

Admitting that foreign policy was a new subject to him when he took over as Prime Minister in May 2014, Modi said: "We work as a team."

 

He said the External Affairs Ministry, the Prime Minister's Office, the Commerce Ministry and the Defence Ministry, "we work as a team. This impact you see (on foreign policy) is not because of Modi, but because of the team," Modi said.

On China objecting to India's entry into Nuclear Suppliers Group, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exuded confidence that the country will get membership of the bloc and the process for it has begun on a "positive note".

"We have begun a coordinated effort for the NSG membership too," Modi told the TV channel."Everyone attempted and we also attempted to be a member of the NSG group. We will keep trying, and things have started on a positive note. All the things will be according to the due procedure."

On whether he was disappointed as China blocked India's bid for membership of the NSG and how close it was to getting it, Modi only said things will move forward as per rules.

On food inflation, the Prime Minister said that though the food inflation has been high in the recent past, it has been coming down over the years. "You can't view inflation as a perception issue. Price rise should be seen as a reality. The country faces high food inflation because of two consecutive droughts. But we have been taking measures to tackle that."

On RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, the Prime Minister said his loyalty to the country is no less than ours. "I believe Raghuram Rajan's patriotism is no less than any of ours. According to my two years experience in govt, those who are creating controversies, are being unjust to Raghuram Rajan," the PM said.

The Prime Minister said humour is diminishing from public life, and this is a cause of concern.

"Humour is fading away from public life. Ab toh kuchch bolte hue darr lagta hai (It is now scary to indulge in humour)," Modi told Times Now.

The Prime Minister rued that earlier parliamentarians used to indulge in light-hearted banter but that is increasingly becoming scarce.

"Ab log bolte hue dartey hain ki pata nahi kis cheez ko lekar mudda bana diya jaye (People are afraid to indulge in humour as you never know what would be turned into an issue)," he said.