New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that he had spent five years in fulfilling the country’s requirements and his next five years will be focused on addressing its aspirations.
Interacting with lakhs of people across more than 500 locations under “Main Bhi Chowkidar” campaign from Talkatora Indoor Stadium, he asked the youth to be vigilant about the opposition’s “false promises” and analyse their track record. mHe also hinted that if he gets re-elected, his government would act tough against corruption.
“In the last five years, I put all my strength to do what was lacking, to fulfil the necessities — from toilets, electricity, roads and trains to buses. Now, in the next five years, our focus would be on building a strong structure. “In the first five years, the government tried to fulfil the basic requirements and in the next five years the challenge will be to address the ambitions and aspirations of the country,” he said, in response to a query about his focus if he returns.
The Prime Minister also said in the last five years, he successfully dragged people who looted the country to jail and will continue to act tough, if elected. He also attacked the Congress for its poll promise of NYAY and urged voters to be careful. “When elections come, parties start announcing attractive schemes. But voters should check their track record and not listen to the tape recorder,” he said.
He said India’s first Prime Minister (Jawaharlal Nehru), his daughter and Prime Minister (Indira Gandhi), and her son and Prime Minister (Rajiv Gandhi) and his widow (Sonia Gandhi), who run the country through remote control, had promised to end poverty and now her son (Rahul Gandhi) was making the same promise.
“This is their track record. The four generations were promising the same issue but despite ending poverty, it increased.
Attacking Pakistan, Modi said that henceforth the “battlefront” against terrorism would be in the land “where terrorists are bred”. “We have been suffering terrorism for the last 40 years.
Everybody knows who sponsors it, where is the remote control, where the masters of these terrorists are sitting? They would come and hit us at will. Tell me how long it can go on like this? Modi said after the Balakot air strike, Pakistan was in a dilemma whether to acknowledge the raid or not; it was not sure how to hide its wounds.
“Pakistan’s dilemma is if it acknowledges that Balakot air strike happened, it would be akin to an admission that there was a terrorist camp there. They have always maintained before the world that there are no terrorist camps on their soil. We struck in such a way that Pakistan was left wondering.”
He said that the credit for air strike does not go to him but to the soldiers who carried them out. “I could take this decision as I have confidence in my armed forces. I gave them a free hand because I am so sure of their discipline that they would never do anything that would shame our country,” he said.
He said India will move ahead without wasting any more time, underlining that India was on the verge of becoming a $5 trillion economy. “We have wasted much time on India-Pakistan (debate). It (Pakistan) will die its own death, let’s move ahead…We are on the doorstep of becoming a $5 trillion economy,” Modi said.
Taking a dig at the opposition, he said that many people were in the queue for becoming India’s Prime Minister in 2014, but in 2019 the queue has got “a bit longer”. He said that remaining in power through political jugglery and working for personal gains was not his objective. “For me, the nation and its 125 crore people are the first priority. What else do I have? I have not kept any personal concern,” he said.
