Speaking at a press conference at New Delhi's Khadi India on Thursday, Shah said that the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi, awakened the people of the country and made them stand against the British. "It was Mahatma Gandhi who recognised the soul of India. In a way, we cannot separate the freedom movement from Khadi and Swadeshi. By introducing the country to the concepts of Swadeshi and Khadi, Mahatma Gandhi not only accelerated the freedom movement but also brought light to the lives of many impoverished people. In 2003, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he launched a major campaign to revive Khadi in Gujarat...From 2014 to today, Khadi has grown hundreds of times.