Was critical of Modi after Godhra, changed views after spending time in Gujarat: Arif Mohammed Khan

New Delhi: Bihar Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday said that after the "disturbances caused by the Godhra tragedy" in 2002, he was critical of Narendra Modi, then-chief minister of Gujarat, but his opinion changed after interacting with people.

Khan was speaking at the launch of the book, "Revolutionary Raj: Narendra Modi's 25 Years", written by journalist-author Alok Mehta, at the Constitution Club of India here.

He noted that his view towards Modi wouldn't have changed if he had not spent four months in Gujarat post-Godhra.

"In 2002, after the disturbances caused by the Godhra tragedy, I was a critic of Shri Modi. And I have said it in the past, that if I had not spent more than four months in Gujarat, after those disturbances, if I had not interacted with people belonging to various communities, possibly the same mindset would have continued," Khan said.

He said he realised that Modi was "being maligned very unfairly".

"He is the most misunderstood person who is being maligned very unfairly. And then after four months, my view totally changed about this situation. And I started sharing my views with others. He is undoubtedly a man of determination, a man of resolve, and he is the man who never shows that he is in a hurry. It appears that he never rests. And he is always engaged in pursuing whatever course he has set before himself," Khan said.

The book, which carries a foreword by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, details Modi's journey over the past 25 years, from a chief minister to the Prime Minister of India.

Khan also credited the prime minister for the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, that criminalises the practice of "triple talaq" in India.

"I hope, and I feel confident that after 50 years, people not only in this country, but everywhere else also will recognise what a wonderful and great job Shri Narendra Modi has done. Because everywhere else in the world, triple talaq is not considered lawful. In India, it was done for the first time in 2019," Khan said.

The launch was attended by Union Minister of Oil and Natural Gas of India Hardeep Singh Puri, Deputy Speaker of Rajya Sabha Harivansh Narayan Singh, Chairman of the 15th Finance Commission, N K Singh, and former minister K J Alphons.

Talking about the recently-concluded AI Impact Summit, Puri said that India is going through "something very remarkable." "In May 2014, we were a USD 2 trillion economy. Today, we are a USD 4.3 trillion economy. We were referred to then as being one of fragile five economies. That was roughly the kind of tag that we were subjected to. And lo and behold, today we are the fourth-largest economy in the world," Puri said.

He added, "On our way, if you believe the monetary fund, in the next year or two, we will be the third largest economy. And those of you who watched the substance of the AI Impact Summit, you know that what India is going through is something very remarkable."