All must have access to good governance: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has exhorted people to seek good governance and said that just like freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak had said that “Swaraj (self-rule) is our birthright”, similarly it is now time to say that good governance is our birthright.

“Every Indian should have access to good governance and positive results of development. It is the factoring in of this outreach that will create a new India,” Mr Modi said in his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat.

The NDA government has been pushing for good governance by easing rules and repealing obsolete laws.

The PM has often used the phrase “more governance, less government” to drive home the point.

He referred to the contribution of Tilak, Vallabh Bhai Patel and Chandra Shekar Azad in freedom struggle in his radio address.

Tilak’s birth anniversary was on July 23 and his death anniversary is on August 1. Azad’s birth anniversary, too, was on July 23.

He said despite opposition by the British government, Patel ensured that a statue of Tilak was insta-lled at Victoria garden in Ahemdabad in 1929.

The PM recalled Tilak’s contribution in starting the tradition of celebrating Ganesh utsav publicly.

“The celebration of Ganesh Utsav publicly had become an effective medium in promoting a spirit of social awakening. This was the period when there was a need for people to get united in the fight against the British; these festivals, by breaking the barriers of casteism and communalism served the purpose of uniting all,” the Prime Minister said.