Narendra Modi says China has been cooperating with India, despite NSG disappointment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview to Times Now on Monday spoke on a range of issues, starting from India's bid to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group and completing two years of governance, to Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy’s attack on Reserve Bank of India Governor Raghuram Rajan and India’s relationship with Pakistan.

India's membership to the NSG

The Prime Minister said that India had been making efforts to join the international body regardless of which government was in power, and said his government will continue striving for NSG membership. He also added that no one said that the government mishandled the NSG issue. When asked about China's opposition to India's membership to the body, and dialogue between the two countries, Modi said, "I can say that China has been cooperating with India... The most important thing is that we can speak to China eye-to-eye."

Bilateral ties with Pakistan

Modi said it was difficult to have a dialogue with the neighbouring country. When asked about the lakshman rekha with Pakistan, he said, “Whom in Pakistan can you decide on what that will be? With the elected government or with all actors.”

He added that his government has been trying to have a dialogue with Pakistan on terrorism. “Because of these efforts the whole world now accepts what India has been saying about terrorism. Pakistan too is finding it difficult to give answers (about terrorism) and this, the world can see,” said Modi.

On Raghuram Rajan

Modi commented on the recent attacks on RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan for the first time, and said the country will not benefit from publicity stunts, and that people needed to be more responsible while conducting themselves. He was responding to a question regarding criticism of Raghuram Rajan and other senior leaders and bureaucrats. “Whether it is someone from my party or not I believe such things are inappropriate,” said Modi, adding that anybody who believed they were bigger than the system was wrong.

The prime minister went on to say, "As much as I know Raghuram Rajan, whatever post he holds, wherever he is, he is someone who will continue to serve the country. He is someone who loves his country," and that people who criticised him did a "great injustice to him".

Swamy had recently criticised Rajan, and said the RBI chief was “mentally not fully Indian”, and alleged that he was deliberately trying to “wreck the Indian economy”. He had also asked the Centre to suspend the RBI Governor. He also took on Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and said that he only answered to the prime minister, soon after Jaitey had criticised the Rajya Sabha MP’s attacks on top economists including Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian.

On wilful loan defaulters

When asked about wilful loan defaulters, including those who go abroad and do not immediately return, Modi said that the Centre will "show them what the law is". His remark comes after former United Spirits chief Vijay Mallya left for the United Kingdom in March soon after stepping down from his post. Mallya has said he will not return to India as he is in a "forced exile".

The Opposition

The prime minister said many issues have been resolved and several Bills passed, despite some like the Goods and Service Tax Bill being opposed. Modi said, “There are some parties in the Parliament which are not with the BJP or NDA, but are with the government on key decisions,” and that it was wrong to defame all opposition parties. “There is one party which has problems. And the whole world knows that party.” He also said he would not stop his attempts to have the Bill passed.

Controversial remarks by leaders

“Why do you make them so big?” Modi said when he was asked about leaders who made “extreme comments”. “I would like to tell the media not to make heroes out of those people who make such comments…. see such statements by people on TV, whose faces I haven't even seen and they end up becoming spokesmen on TV.”