NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi chose the milestone of his unbroken run of 25 years as head of govt on Wednesday to deliver a message imbued with optimism and passion for achieving the target of developed India by 2047, crediting people’s support for his feat and asking citizens to join him in dedicating themselves to the ambitious goal.“We will do it,” Modi said at a BJP event, a clarion call which repeatedly punctuated his one-hour-long address and what, he said, has guided him in setting his goals, since he became Gujarat CM in 2001 with no administrative experience, and achieve them with support of “janshakti” (people’s power).“Karma is my dharma. When I took oath as Gujarat CM, I never thought such an occasion will come,” he said at Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha, asking people to take a pledge to put the nation first and not stop till India becomes a developed country. His speech came amid the opposition’s high-decibel protest in the heart of the city over the SIR row but he appeared unfazed.
Target unprecedented and extraordinary goals: Modi
Modi’s speech on his 25 years as head of govt came amid the opposition’s protest in Delhi over the SIR row, but he did not join the issue, except for a sideswipe at his rivals when he said a big tragedy for the country had been that it was divided for votes due to political expedience.Water crisis in agriculture or power shortage does not hit any particular caste or community, Modi said. “When a problem troubles everyone, then the solution too should cover everyone,” he said, adding this was why his govt linked good governance and saturation to inclusion.
Reiteration of his “tireless” resolve to make India a leading player in a gamut of sectors, including tourism, education, sports, entertainment and science, ran through the nearly hour-long speech as its central theme.“Our pilot (Smit Machchhar) is being discussed globally today. Made-in-India planes will be discussed tomorrow… It will be an injustice to the country if we set small and easy goals. We should target unprecedented and extraordinary goals,” Modi said.“Viksit Bharat by 2047: we will do it. Top three economy: we will do it. Self-reliant: we will do it,” he said.
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Addressing the criticism that his target of “Viksit Bharat by 2047” is too far into the future, he said the idea of an independent India two decades before 1947 had looked improbable. India has 140 crore citizens now as against less than 40 crore then and is much more capable, he said.Modi said the Indian economy was considered a “gone case” when he took office in 2014, and the picture had completely changed now.Lauding RSS volunteers and BJP members, he recalled his rise from a humble background, saying he was always driven by a desire to learn. “No incident was a waste for me. Those who helped me win taught me humility. Those who brought me down taught me to stand up. Those who opposed me taught me the power of democracy. Every crisis was a test of my patience,” he said.Modi said he was never driven by ambition but mission, adding he never intended to contest elections and was busy helping others fight polls as a senior organisational functionary in BJP before being asked to take over as Gujarat CM.
