NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi felt “sad” about the 2002 communal riots in Gujarat and had considered resigning from the post of Gujarat’s chief minister then, according to a just-published biography of the BJP ’s PM candidate.The book, titled Narendra Modi: A Political Biography by British author and TV producer Andy Marino , also quoted Modi, who has been accused by his detractors for being complicit in the riots in which hundreds, mainly Muslims, were killed, as saying that he felt no sense of “guilt”, according to PTI. “I feel sad about what happened but no guilt. And no court has come even close to establishing it,” the agency cited Modi as telling the author.Marino, according to PTI, was given complete access by Modi whom he accompanied aboard his helicopter during campaign rallies and interviewed him over several weeks.The 310-page book is the latest biography of Modi and comes at a time the BJP leader is a front-runner to be the country’s next prime minister. Accused by his critics of long running a communal agenda, Modi is fighting the upcoming general elections on a developmental agenda, showcasing strong economic growth in Gujarat under his watch and his governance record.Modi, who is reviled in sections of the media as a polarising figure, is also quoted as saying that since the time of the riots he had decided early on to “let the media do its work; there will be no confrontation”. “I never waste my time in confrontation,” he is quoted as saying. This is the second time in recent months that comments attributed to him on the 2002 riots have emerged.Last December, Modi published a blog in which for the first time he described what he felt during the riots, using words such as “pain”, “anguish” and “agony” as his feelings during the episode that has defined his political identity.In the latest book, the author says Modi wanted to resign as chief minister after the riots but was prevailed upon by the party to continue. Marino, according to PTI, said Modi had confided in him “possibly for the first time in an on-the-record interview, that he no longer wanted to be the chief minister after the riots because he had decided it was unfair on the people of the state who had been subjected to extreme abuse because of him”.