PM Modi Opens Up: 'I am God-Gifted' Reflects on Leadership Journey Ahead of Lok Sabha Polls

PM Modi Says I am God-Gifted: Narendra Modi described himself as a 'god-gifted' leader who does not let phone calls or messages distract him from his work.

During an exclusive interview with Newsweek, PM said, "Listening is an important leadership quality. I was born with this ability, and I have developed it. Another quality I possess is being in the moment."

"I am not distracted by phone calls, messages or anything else. When I am doing something, I am 100 percent involved and engrossed in that task."

The only prime minister to appear on Newsweek's cover after Indira Gandhi, PM Modi addressed the magazine's written questions on topics ranging from economic development to infrastructure development to environmental concerns to China's relations with India.

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According to him, good leaders need a bottom-to-top feedback channel and the ability to connect to the grassroots and receive unfiltered feedback.

As a Chief Minister of Gujarat, PM Modi shared an anecdote about how he received a call around 3 am one night from someone in the town of Karjan (his staff knew his working style), describing an explosion. He explained how, upon getting a direct head-start, his administration was able to respond to the incident promptly, which turned out to be a train accident, as a result of his timely intervention.

He added "The person called to report a loud explosion in our town. He said I had come to his home for a meal in my earlier days, so he had familiarity with me and the urge to call me directly. I asked him what could be the reason."

"He told me that the railway line passes close to his house and it could be something related to the railways. So, I called the district administration, railway officials and my staff to inquire about the incident."

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"None of them had heard about it, but immediately the entire administration set out to work. It turned out to be a train accident."

In addition to his written interview, PM Modi spoke for 90 minutes with Newsweek's CEO Dev Pragad, Global Editor in Chief Nancy Cooper, and Editor in Chief, Asia, Danish Manzoor Bhat at his official residence.

Newsweek reported that he also believed that good leadership involves delegating work. "I spend long hours understanding and discussing important issues, then empowering people to carry out the decision after I reach consensus," he said.

Narendra Modi and the unstoppable rise of India ????????

The prime minister on his goals, his critics and his "god-gifted" ability to listen: "I am always in the moment."@NarendraModi | @PMOIndia | @TellDM | @NancyCooperNYChttps://t.co/dlRRhINUzk

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) April 10, 2024

A good leader needs to be empathetic to people's feelings and emotions. "I receive hundreds of thousands of physical letters every month," said Modi.

"I manage to check many letters and see for myself the emotions expressed by the people. It is from these letters that the thought of Mann Ki Baat [a monthly radio program] came to my mind. We have had 110 Mann Ki Baat episodes till now."

He said that as soon as he joined politics, people noticed that he was good at communicating. So he said to myself, "Let's use this skill to our advantage."

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