Mathura : In what is seen as a clear case of shifting of goalpost, Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared on Monday that while he was striving to bring the promised ‘achche din’ (good days) for everyone, there were some who were facing bure din (bad days) in his regime. ‘‘I cannot do anything for such people. Those who are working with bad intentions and doing bad karma should get ready for ‘bahut bure din’ (bad days)’’, he said amidst applause during a rally in Nagla Chandrabhan, around 25 km from Mathura.
Modi chose this village as it is the birthplace of Pt Deena Dayal Upadhyaya, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, and the ideologue of the BJP. In a bid to counter the aggressive Congress propaganda about his government being pro-rich and pro-corporate, Modi kept his entire 50-minute speech firmly focused on schemes, plans and initiatives for the poor, kisans and rural population. The Land Acquisition Bill and the financial reforms measures did not even find a mention.
Coming to the choice of the venue, Modi said he could have chosen the national capital or any of the big state capitals to celebrate the first year of his government. But he said right from the day he was elected leader of the NDA, he had it in his mind to come to the place. Only three original thinkers have carved out India’s political philosophy in the last decade, Gandhi, Lohia and Deen Dayal, he explained.
More than half of Modi’s address was centred on measures to root out corruption form the power corridors of Delhi. ‘‘Just think what would have been the state of things had you not voted out the previous regime last year,’’ he pointed out. I have come here to give you an account of what I have done in the last 365 days and I can tell you that we must stop the culture of loot. We have completely driven out the brokers from the power corridors of Delhi who were the most influential people in the government before us,’’ he told a cheering crowd.
‘‘It is these people who are dead against my government and are spreading canards about us. But let me tell you my guarantee of achche din was not for them. These people are headed for worse days,’’ he reiterated.
The Prime Minister then went on to list all the major programmes initiated in the past one year to benefit the poor. He mentioned the insurance and pension schemes, the Jan Dhan Yojana, schemes on irrigation and efforts or skill development and easy loans to the poor and lower middle class.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Modi said in his effort to fulfill his promise to his countrymen, he had neither taken rest for a day nor taken a vacation.
The rally was the first of a series of 200 public meetings to be held all over India as part of Jan Kalyan Parv to highlight the achievements of one year.
