DHAKA: The woman who calls herself the wife of fiery hardline Indian prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said in a rare interview Saturday that she doesn’t ‘feel bad’ he has cut her out of his life.

Modi, a 63-year-old opposition Hindu nationalist politician, has never commented on numerous reports that he wed Jashodaben, 62, in a traditional arranged marriage when she was 17.

The retired school teacher spoke to an Indian newspaper amid intense speculation about Modi’s personal life as he leaders the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into general elections due by May.

Jashodaben, who goes by one name, told The Indian Express daily that she remains a big fan of Modi, even though she says they split three years into their marriage and since he left ‘we have never been in touch’, reports The Straits Times.

BDST: 1739 HRS, FEB 01, 2014