Has Modi apologised?

It is argued, including by some supporters of the BJP, that Modi needs to apologise for the violence which occurred in Gujarat in 2002 while he was chief minister. However he has, in fact, said that he will never apologise. He has made apparently apologetic remarks such as: "There may have been a time when I hurt someone or when I made a mistake... I ask my 60 million Gujaratis to forgive me", but without referring to the events of 2002 specifically. At one point he appeared to offer an apology for the failing of the Gujarat Government to protect people; but shortly afterwards he made clear that he was only apologising for earlier riots in 1969 and 1985, and not for the violence of 2002 which occurred under his rule.

His refusal to express regret can be seen in this failed TV interview where he chooses to walk out rather than apologise. Recently, when asked if he regretted what happened in Gujarat in 2002, he replied that "even if a puppy comes under the wheel of your car, it is painful" (the precise term for "puppy" was "son of a dog"). When criticised for this comment, he and his supporters argued that he was just expressing that every form of life is valued.