Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke on the violence ensuing the Godhara incident saying he did not have much experience as Chief Minister back then but had immense trust in the people of Gujarat. "Some people were running their own agenda. They conspired to defame Gujarat and people tried their best to spread negativity. They thought Gujarat had been destroyed but our government was focused and took the right decisions to recover Gujarat from this negativity," he said.
In February 2002, 59 kar sevaks were killed after a coach of the Sabarmati Express was set on fire as it arrived at Godhara station, triggering one of the worst communal riots in the country. The riots took place just months after Modi was sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in October 2001.
PM Modi's remark came during his address Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit in Ahmedabad saying the initiative has become an "institution" today instead of being a one-time event.
"Vibrant Gujarat has transformed from one-time event to an institution, whose system and process runs automatically within the government and outside it, throughout the year," he said.
"India will soon emerge global economic powerhouse; it is my guarantee that India will be in top 3 economies in few years," he added.
The Prime Minister said 'Vibrant Gujarat' was made a channel to "increase the self-confidence of Gujarat and a channel to speak to the world eye to eye."
Targeting Congress without taking name, Modi said, "Those who ran central govt earlier used to link Gujarat's development with politics. Minister of then central govt used to refuse to come to Vibrant Gujarat...they used to threaten foreign investors and tried to stop them(foreign investors) from coming to Gujarat...even after so much of threatening, foreign investors came to Gujarat."