Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday extended Diwali and Gujarati New Year greetings to Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda after the Congress leader described him as his “Gujarati friend” and said he had no personal issues with him despite their political differences.
The exchange comes after Pitroda, in an interview with news agency IANS, spoke about his personal equation with Modi and said that despite their political differences, he shared a cordial relationship with the Prime Minister. He said he respected Modi as an individual and recalled meeting him along with his wife on several occasions.
I respect him as a person. Pitroda, however, drew a distinction between his personal relationship with Modi and his disagreements with the Prime Minister’s political positions.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda says, “He is a Gujarati friend. My wife and I have met him,” he said. He said his criticism was directed at Modi’s ideology and worldview rather than at him as an individual. Emphasising that political disagreements did not prevent them from sharing a cordial personal equation, Pitroda said he could disagree with Modi while still socialising with him.
