New Delhi: Terming “Mann Ki Baat” an example of a people’s movement, actor Aamir Khan on Wednesday said the monthly radio programme is an important piece of communication through which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has built a trusted relationship with citizens.
Khan was in the national capital to attend the ‘National Conclave on Mann Ki Baat @100’, a daylong programme inaugurated by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar with Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur as the guest of honour.
“People want to believe in him (Modi) and follow him. They trust him and he has built this relationship with the public. Trust does not come automatically, it has to be earned. And clearly he has earned it,” Khan said at a panel discussion called “Awahan Se Jan Andolan”.
He said Modi is invested in the “Mann Ki Baat” programme at a personal level.
The 100th episode of the prime minister’s monthly radio programme is scheduled to be broadcast on April 30. Modi started the monthly radio programme after becoming prime minister in 2014.
“It’s a very important piece of communication that the leader of the country does with the people, discussing important issues, putting forward thoughts, giving suggestions, leading…
“That is how you lead by communication. You tell your people what you’re looking at, how you’re seeing the future, how you want your support in that. (It’s an) important communication that happens in ‘Mann Ki Baat’,” Khan told PTI on the sidelines of the event.
Asked if Modi only talks about his “mann ki baat” (what he wants to talk about) in the radio programme, the Bollywood star said, “I think it’s his prerogative because he’s doing it… It is his method of hearing what the people have to say connecting with people across the country. I think it’s a very important initiative.”
During the panel discussion, the 58-year-old actor said the programme is “one of the examples of a people’s movement, which has been successfully spearheaded by the prime minister”.
“… he has conducted himself with so much success that he has the support of the people. It is because he has tried to connect with people. I believe this effort is quite significant and important for any society in the world.
“It is very important for a leader to communicate and take people into confidence about what he is planning so that the people also know how they should conduct themselves. They get a vision, they get a direction to follow. And that is something which is a huge concept and is actually the start of a huge people’s movement.”
Being able to communicate and present thoughts in front of the public is a fundamental requirement from any leader, he added.
“If you’re not able to talk with your citizens who have elected you, then how will you understand them and they understand your ‘mann ki baat’ and what you’re thinking,” he said.
The prime minister, Khan said, touched on various topics, be it citizen issues or economics, in the monthly radio programme.
“When we think of an idea for the country, a whole campaign is built around it. Like the polio campaign, it was such a big campaign and it had Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) in it… But here (‘Mann Ki Baat’), the PM just had to speak about an issue.
“There was no need for a campaign around it. He has such a big reach and plus, he is talking about it himself. He doesn’t need anyone to do it for him,” he added.
He referred to his talk show “Satyamev Jayate”, which ran for three seasons from 2012 to 2014.
“I had the same experience when I was doing ‘Satyamev Jayate’ because it was a similar kind of a programme. We were talking about issues and I was meeting people from all over the country and interacting with them. So, that was a time that I experienced it a little more which is similar to this more than my filmmaking,” he said.
In his message to listeners of “Mann Ki Baat”, Khan said he just wanted to send his love to them.
“We are all on a unique journey and we should all be connected like this,” he said.
