PM Modi Interview | 'When Rahul Gandhi's aircraft faced issues ...': PM on rising above politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a message of rising above politics, recalling how he once called up Rahul Gandhi immediately upon hearing that his aircaft faced some issues.

The Prime Minister was speaking in an exclusive interview to News18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, News18 Kannada Editor, Hariprasad, and News18 Lokmat Anchor Vilas Bade.

During the interview, he defended BJP chief JP Nadda's decision to rush to the house of Neha Hiremath, the daughter of a Congress councillor, who was stabbed to death by her former classmate Fayaz.

He was asked whether the focus of elections in Karnataka was shifting to such issues due to this.

"Nadda ji was attending a programme in Karnataka, when this incident took place. Who belongs to which party, or he belongs to the Congress; his daughter was murdered. These are not my values or mindset. And it is a matter of human sentiment, and I believe that even in the midst of the election rush, what he did was the human thing to do," he said.

PM Modi then recalled how he extended help to his political rivals like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi at the time of distress.

"I was the chief minister of Gujarat when, in Daman, a helicopter carrying Sonia ji (Sonia Gandhi), Ahmed Patel sahab crashed. I told them that I am sending an air ambulance, but Ahmed Patel sahab told me that they are all fine and not in any kind of emergency. Once Sonia ji went to Kashi for an election campaign and she fell ill, so I immediately sent people over to see what the matter is and, if required, send an aircraft to carry her. So, these are my principles and this is beyond politics. So, for me, whenever any problem arises in any family, this should be resolved by rising above politics," he said.