Ahead of the sixth phase of the General Elections 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that he believes God has ordained him to work 24x7 till 2047 to achieve the aim of Viksit Bharat (developed India).
In a recent interview to a national television channel, PM Modi said, “I feel, God Almighty has sent me for a special purpose. God has sent me to achieve the objective of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. God is showing me the path, God is giving me the energy. I am fully confident that I will achieve the target by 2047 and until that target is achieved, God will not call me back. I do not have any other place in this world now except this.”
‘400 Paar’ Slogan Coined By People
According to the Prime Minister, ‘400 Paar’ is a slogan not coined by the BJP, but by the people.
“We were already 400 in strength in Parliament during the last five years, given the support that we got from other parties. Any child who gets 95 per cent marks will naturally strive for a higher target,” said the PM.
Countered Level-Playing Field Allegation
The senior BJP leader took a dig at Congress and other opposition parties for complaining that they have not been given a level-playing field in this election.
He recalled how the then Chief Election Commissioner TN Seshan postponed polling across the country in 1991 for 22 days after Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in Sriperumbudur on May 21. Then only one round of polling was over. Elections were postponed till mid-June and voting finally took place on June 12 and 15.
“Was that a level-playing field? Normally, when a candidate dies, election in that constituency is countermanded. However, in 1991, election across the country was postponed and polling resumed only after the funeral of the departed leader was widely publicized,” said the PM.
“The same person (TN Seshan), after retirement, fought against our party president (LK Advani) in Gandhinagar in 1999 on a Congress ticket,” he added.
PM Modi On Imprisonment Of Ministers
In his response to the query about two serving chief ministers (in Delhi and Jharkhand) being jailed when election process was on, Modi said, “The courts sent the two Chief Ministers to jail. We do not have the power to send somebody to jail or keep anybody in jail. Courts have the powers. Look at what Supreme Court said in the ex-Jharkhand CM (Hemant Soren) case. Look at what Delhi High Court said about ex-minister (Manish Sisodia) in money laundering case. People have seen huge loads of cash in crores seized by the Enforcement Directorate. All of us should honour ED for seizing Rs 2,200 crores in cash, which can be filled up in at least 70 tempos, while during 10-years of UPA rule, ED had seized only Rs 34 lakh cash which can be stuffed in a school bag.”
Prime Minister Takes Dig At AAP
PM Modi also took a potshot at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi liquor case.
“They wanted to spoil the lives of children by opening liquor outlets near schools, offered one liquor bottle free for every bottle sold, because they were getting the commission on the number of bottles sold. Let me make this very clear. I won the 2014 elections only because I had promised to take action against the corrupt. I was elected only because of that. Big leaders used to get away scot-free. I do not run this government for getting nice editorials or good TV headlines. My government works to stamp out corruption,” said Modi.
'I Am Root Cause Of Pakistan's Worries'
In his response to Pakistan’s allegations about Indian hand behind targeted assassinations by unknown killers of terrorists in that country, the Prime Minister said, “That is not the issue. I know that people of Pakistan are nowadays worried. I also know that I am the root cause of their worries. But I also know that some people in our own country are also worried. I can understand when they weep, but I cannot understand why our people weep.”
On Mani Shankar Aiyar’s Pakistan Has Atom Bombs Remark
Responding to Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar’s remark that India should accord respect to Pakistan because it has atom bombs, Modi in a lighter vein said, “I’ve myself gone to Pakistan and checked their power. I landed in Lahore without any security checks, and one of their TV reporters was saying Hai Allah, Modi has landed in Pakistan without any visa. Yes this was in their live debates. Why can’t I do, Pakistan was my country once.”
Roasts Shiv Sena (UBT) On Ram Temple Remark
Prior to the election, one Shiv Sena (UBT) leader had predicted that Modi may send trainload of devotees to the new Ram Temple in Ayodhya before elections and Pakistan may blow up the train, leading to riots and making Modi’s election easier.
Reflecting on the prediction, PM Modi said, “Why he is not taking medicines or get a medical check-up done. Was any train blown up? Did riots take place? He should get his diseased mindset checked.”