New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that although the situation and his designation have changed but he is still the same person who once used to sit on the floor and that is the reality.

In a podcast with Zerodha Co-founder Nikhil Kamath, when asked about a photo of a swearing-in ceremony of Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel in 1995, where senior politicians were sitting on a chair while he was sitting on the floor, and what has changed in his life since then.

PM Modi said, "My designations have changed, and situations have changed. The setup may have changed. Modi is the same person who once used to sit on the floor. This is reality. It makes no difference to me."

PM Modi said that when he went to Abu Dhabi and asked the Crown Prince to allocate land for temple then the land was allocated without any delay.

PM Modi said, "I went to Abu Dhabi and said to the Crown Prince that if he could allocate a land for temple it would be great service. Without any delay, I got land and permission to build a temple in an Islamic country. Today millions of Hindus are filled with joy."

When asked about other countries and his food preferences, he said that he is not a foodie.

Kamath and PM Modi during the Podcast

PM Modi said, "I am not a foodie. Whatever is served to me in the country that I visit I relish it. But it is my bad luck that if you take me to a restaurant today and give me a menu and ask me to select then I won't be able to do it. It has been years since I have visited any restaurant. Earlier when I was in the Sangathan, Arun Jaitley was very fond of eating. He knew what was best at which restaurant in which city across the country. He was like an encyclopedia. So when we used to travel together one meal at a restaurant was a certain thing."

"But if someone hands over the menu to me to select food, I cannot do it. Because I am not aware of the names of the dishes and what they really are. As I don't have the tendency. So I always told Arun Jaitley to order the food. My only preference was that I wanted to have vegetarian food," he further said.

PM Modi said that often he is asked that since he is from Gujarat then how he is able to speak Hindi so well.

"Earlier when I used to work for Sangh, people used to think that I am from North India but I lived in Gujarat. The reason is that when we used to sell tea in the Railway Station, my village Mehsana, Meh means buffalo, so in my village when the buffaloes would start giving milk, they would be transported to Mumbai. People would sell milk in Mumbai. When buffaloes would stop giving milk there, they would be brought back to the village.

“The people who used to work in this business were from Uttar Pradesh. When they came they used to wait for the goods train. When they used to get the train they used to fill it with grass, and accommodate four buffaloes. 30 to 40 such people always used to stay at the platform. I used to sell tea and go to them. I used to talk to them and learnt Hindi during my childhood." he said.

PM Modi further said that in the evening they used to sing devotional songs and order tea and from them he learnt Hindi.

Narendra Modi said that people misunderstand the meaning of, "minimum government, maximum governance". He said that the efforts must be to increase the speed of work done by government departments and thus, he had made different ministries for skill, cooperatives, and fisheries.

PM Modi making a point to Kamath

PM Modi said that the government took away 40,000 compliances to increase the speed of work in different departments.

"We often misunderstand the concept of minimum government, maximum governance. Some believe that minimum government means fewer ministers and fewer employees. However, this is not my understanding. I made different ministries for skill, cooperatives, and fisheries. When I say minimum government...my point is that we took away 40,000 compliances to increase the speed of work. Otherwise, the different departments will demand the same things. If one department has it, use it for all," PM Modi said in a podcast with social media influencer Nikhil Kamath.

"I have abolished 1,500 old laws. I have changed laws that criminalised certain things. This is my vision of minimum government and maximum governance. I am witnessing it all happen," he added.

Speaking on India's technological standing across the world, PM Modi said that India has managed to democratise technology and taught the world how it is done.

"In just thirty seconds, I can transfer money into the accounts of 100 million farmers. I can do the same for cylinder subsidy for 13 crore people in 30 seconds...India has taught the world how to democratise technology. All you need is a mobile. This is a tech-driven century. We have made an innovation commission and innovation fund," PM Modi said.

Speaking on how India's perception has changed around the world, PM Modi recalled saying that the day would come when the world would stand in line for an Indian Visa.

"As a the head of the state, America had refused me a visa. I held a press conference that day where I had said, "One day the world would stand in line for an Indian visa". I gave this statement in 2005. Now, it is 2025. I can see that this is now is the time for India... I used to say publicly that you (NRIs) will regret if you don't come back to India, the world is changing," PM Modi said.

"I recently visited Kuwait. I went to a labour colony...one labourer asked me when will there be an international airport in my district (in India) ...it is this aspiration that will make India Vikist in 2047," he added.

ALSO READ: Veteran Brig. Mukhtar Alam keeps a soldier in him alive to serve India

Emphasising his stand on the issue of war and the recent conflicts around the world, PM Modi said that his stand is not being "neutral" but he was in favour of peace. He said that the advice he has given to countries that are in conflict currently has enhanced the country's credibility.