NDTV Exclusive - "Foreign Policy Has A Spine Now": Amit Shah Compares Tenures Of PM Modi, Nehru

Amit Shah has been acquainted with PM Modi for over four decades.

New Delhi:

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has worked to strengthen India's foreign policy by adding a backbone to it. During an interview with NDTV CEO and Editor-In-Chief Rahul Kanwal, Shah offered his perspective on how PM Modi's leadership distinguishes itself from his predecessors, including India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.

"When historians compare Modi's era with other Prime Ministers, the comparison will favor PM Modi," Shah remarked when questioned about how history would remember the leadership periods of PM Modi and Nehru.

Nehru holds the distinction of serving the longest tenure as Prime Minister, exceeding 16 years in office. PM Modi, with over 11 years of service, ranks as India's second-longest serving prime minister in terms of continuous tenure. PM Modi also has the achievement of being Gujarat's longest-serving Chief Minister, with his leadership spanning from October 2001 to May 2014.

Highlighting accomplishments such as the revocation of Article 370 and the ban on Triple Talaq, Shah emphasized the achievements of the Narendra Modi government within just one decade.

"In a decade, 25 crore people have risen out of poverty... the nation's economy has advanced from 11th to 4th position. The revocation of Article 370, construction of Ram Mandir, abolition of Triple Talaq, clarification of the country's citizenship definition, enhancing the respect for the Indian passport worldwide - all these achievements have occurred in merely a decade."

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Shah further stated that PM Modi has strengthened India's foreign policy, which he claimed previously lacked firmness.

"After extensive study of India's foreign policy, I've concluded that it previously lacked a spine. Narendra Modi has worked to provide that spine to India's foreign policy," said Shah, who has known PM Modi for more than four decades.

The 60-year-old minister also highlighted PM Modi's remarkable journey from a district-level worker to Gujarat's Chief Minister and subsequently to India's Prime Minister.

"I have observed him very closely. His greatest strength is his ability to adapt successfully to every role. He has excelled in fulfilling all his responsibilities. This is a remarkable quality," he noted.

Prime Minister Modi celebrated his 75th birthday on September 17, and to commemorate this milestone, the ruling BJP has initiated 'Sewa Pakhwada', under which BJP-governed administrations at central and state levels have organized various outreach, welfare, development, and awareness programs, including health camps, cleanliness drives, intellectual gatherings, and fairs promoting indigenous products across India until October 2.

PM Modi was first elected in 2014, secured a second term in 2019, and was sworn in for a third term in 2024.