‘Godhra A Tragedy Of Unimaginable Magnitude’: PM Modi Says Opponents Wanted Gujarat Allegations To Stick

Reported By :

Last Updated:March 16, 2025, 19:25 IST

PM Narendra Modi on Lex Fridman podcast said, "At that time, our political opponents were in power [at the Centre], and naturally they wanted all allegations against us to stick...The judiciary analysed the situation meticulously twice and ultimately found us completely innocent."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Lex Fridman podcast. (YouTube)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an interview with US-based podcaster and AI researcher Lex Fridman, called the Godhra train incident a tragedy of “unimaginable magnitude" which became a “sparking point for violence".

In the second podcast of his decades-long political career, Modi said how the fake narrative that these were the biggest riots ever “is actually misinformation", as before 2002, Gujarat had witnessed over 250 riots, and communal violence was frequent.

‘EXTREMELY VOLATILE’: THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE VIOLENCE

In his podcast, with audio tracks in English (US), Hindi, Hindi Latin and Russian, Fridman asked Modi about the learnings from the 2002 Gujarat communal violence during his tenure as the CM, which killed 1,000 people, even as the Supreme Court gave two rulings in 2012 and 2022 giving him a clean chit.

“Regarding the earlier events that you mentioned, like the 2002 riots in Gujarat, I’d like to paint you a clearer picture of the 12 to 15 months leading up to that, so you can fully understand the atmosphere of that time. For instance, take December 24, 1999, roughly three years earlier, an Indian flight from Kathmandu to Delhi was hijacked, redirected to Afghanistan and landed in Kandahar. Hundreds of Indian passengers were held hostage. It caused massive turmoil across India as people faced life and death uncertainty," said Modi.

“Then, in the year 2000, the Red Fort in Delhi was attacked by terrorists. Yet another crisis struck the nation, intensifying fear and turmoil. On September 11, 2001, the Twin Towers in America faced a devastating terror attack, once again shocking the entire world. Because ultimately, the people behind these attacks are driven by a similar mindset. Then in October 2001, terrorists attacked the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. Soon after, on December 13th, 2001, India’s parliament was targeted," he said.

‘ENORMOUS CHALLENGE’: FIRST TIME AS CM

“Within just eight to 10 months, these major global terrorist attacks took place, violent incidents that led to bloodshed and the loss of innocent lives. In such a tense environment, even the smallest spark can ignite unrest. The situation had already become extremely volatile. In such times, suddenly, on October 7, 2001, I was given the responsibility of becoming chief minister of Gujarat. This was an enormous challenge," he said.

“At that time, Gujarat was recovering from a devastating earthquake, the largest of the previous century, which had left thousands dead. My first major task as chief minister was overseeing the rehabilitation of survivors. This was a crucial task, and from day one after my oath, I immersed myself in it. I was a person who had absolutely no prior experience with government. I had never been part of any administration, never even served in government before. I had never contested an election, never even been a state representative. For the first time in my life, I had to face elections," he said.

‘TRAGIC FOR EVERYONE’: THE HORRIFIC GODHRA INCIDENT

“On February 24, 2002, I became a state representative, an elected representative for the first time. And it was only around February 24, 25, or 26 that I stepped into the Gujarat Assembly for the very first time. On February 27, 2002, we were seated in the Assembly for the budget session. And that same day, it had been just three days since I’d become a state representative, when suddenly the horrific Godhra incident occurred. It was a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude, people were burned alive. You can imagine, against the backdrop of incidents like the Kandahar hijacking, the attack on parliament, or even 9/11, and then to have so many people killed and burned alive, you can imagine how tense and volatile the situation was. Of course, this was tragic for everyone. Everyone prefers peace," he said.

“The perception that these were the biggest riots ever is actually misinformation. If you review the data from before 2002, you will see that Gujarat faced frequent riots. Curfews were constantly being imposed somewhere. Communal violence could erupt over trivial issues, like kite flying contests or even minor bicycle collisions. Before 2002, Gujarat witnessed over 250 significant riots. The riots in 1969 lasted nearly six months. So there was a long history, long before I was in the picture."

“But that one tragic incident in 2002 became a sparking point, leading some people towards violence. Yet, the judiciary thoroughly investigated the matter. At that time, our political opponents were in power, and naturally they wanted all allegations against us to stick. Despite their relentless efforts, the judiciary analysed the situation meticulously twice and ultimately found us completely innocent. Those who were truly responsible have faced justice from the courts," he said.

'Reading about Swami Vivekananda and Chhatrapati Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj inspired a quest to understand their way of life and personal discipline' says PM Modi in pocast with #LexFridman @kritsween | #PMModi pic.twitter.com/N4OnnyafIK— News18 (@CNNnews18) March 16, 2025