In a series of meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has written in her recently published book Freedom: Memoirs 1951-2021 that since he assumed office, “an increasing number of members of other religions, predominantly Muslims and Christians, were being attacked by Hindu nationalists” in India.
According to Merkel, Modi “vehemently denied it and emphasised that India was and would remain a country of religious tolerance” when she brought up the topic with him.
Merkel recalls her first meeting with Modi in Germany in April 2015, noting that he had a keen interest in visual effects. Modi had shared with her his innovative approach to campaigning, where he used holograms during the 2014 general elections. Through this technology, Modi was able to project his image from a studio to over 50 different locations, where thousands of people gathered to listen to him.
Merkel also shared her impressions of her interactions with former Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. She noted that Singh “was the first non-Hindu premier” of the nation and described his primary focus on improving the living standards of the two-thirds of India’s 1.2 billion population who lived in poverty.
On Monday, Merkel presented her autobiography Freedom in a conversation with former President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. The two leaders discussed their relationship and how far-right movements have exploited anti-immigrant rhetoric to gain power globally.
Their discussion spanned nearly two hours before an audience of hundreds at The Anthem concert hall, where tickets sold out hours before the event began. They focused on significant moments during Merkel’s 16-year tenure as German chancellor, marked by multiple crises, as well as her life in the former GDR prior to her political career.
Merkel also said that “democratic parties” must be strengthened and that they must be “serious” when it comes to addressing the problems that affect people in their daily lives.
