New Delhi: Dedicating the 2019 Lok Sabha polls verdict to the people and the country’s vibrant democracy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India has won again and together with everyone, a strong and “inclusive nation will be built.”
Mr Modi, who received a rousing welcome at the BJP headquarters, amidst showering of petals and chanting of ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ promised to devote “every moment” of his time and “every fibre” of his being for the people of India and said the country will now have only two castes — the poor and those who want to alleviate poverty.
Earlier, he tweeted: “With all+ development for all+ everybody’s confidence = victorious India..Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again (sic).”
Amid loud cheers by the party workers and supporters, who had started gathering at the party headquarters since morning, Mr Modi said, “People are chanting Modi, Modi. But this is not a victory of Modi, it is the victory of people who are desperate for honesty in the system...It is not Modi’s victory, but a win of people’s hope and aspirations.”
Trying to strike a conciliatory political tone, Mr Modi reached out to his rivals, urgi-ng everyone to put the rancour of the bitter and often nasty campaign behind them.
“What is in past is past...We have to move ahead. We have to take everyone with us, even our opponents. We have to work for the benefit of the country,” he said.
Reaching out to the masses, Mr Modi said his party and NDA’s victory was that of the toiling farmers who struggle to feed the nation, those who now live in proper houses and the middle class which follows the rules and pays taxes. He asserted that people have realised that the money they are contributing in taxes has been put into nation building.
He also said that he would not do anything with bad intentions, even though, he added, he may at times make a mistake on the job.
”I will not do anything for myself,” said Mr Modi and added that he would devote every moment of his time and every fibre of his being for his fellow countrymen.
“Whenever you judge me, judge me on these three parameters. If I fall short on these, curse me. But I assure my countrymen that what I have said in public I will do my best to fulfil,” he said. Mr Modi said the values and spirit of democracy and the Constitution enjoin his government to take everyone along as the country is run with consensus.
In a jibe at the BJP’s rivals, who are seen as the secular counter to the saffron party’s Hindutva agenda, he said people who used to proudly wear a “fake tag” of secularism did not talk about it at all. “The Opposition did not dare to mislead the country while wearing the false mask of secularism. The Opposition did not accuse us of raising prices. All previous elections were fought on corruption issues. This was the first one in which any political party could not level even one charge of corruption,” he claimed.
He said the 2019 elections have put forth a new narrative of only two castes — the poor and those contributing to alleviating poverty — and said voters have dealt a huge blow to parties engaging in caste politics.
Drawing a parallel between the war mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata and the 2019 electoral battle, Mr Modi said just like Lord Krishna said that in the war, he only stood with the kingdom Hastinapur, Indian voters also stood for the country.
“We were not disappointed when we won only two seats (in 1984). We will not leave our humility, ideals and values when we come back to power,” Mr Modi said.
After the poll results, BJP leaders, including the PM removed the ‘Chowkidar’ prefix from their names from their Twitter handles, with Mr Modi tweeting: “Now, the time has come to take the Chowkidar Spirit to the next level. Keep this spirit alive at every moment and continue working for India’s progress. The word ‘Chowkidar’ goes from my Twitter name but it remains an integral part of me. Urging you all to do the same too!” BJP leaders had prefixed ‘Chowkidar’ after the Congress’ jibe at the PM ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’.
