NEW DELHI: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed gratitude after surpassing
Jawaharlal Nehru's record to become India's longest-serving elected Prime Minister.
Addressing the NDA leaders' meeting, the Prime Minister described his tenure as a "spiritual practice" that was not solitary but a "collective yagya".
Here are the top quotes from his address. - You have all made this day truly memorable for me. I am overwhelmed and deeply grateful. Chanting the mantra of Chareveti, Chareveti (keep moving forward) and witnessing numerous ups and downs in this political journey, I had never imagined that this milestone would one day be reached.
- I consider it my supreme privilege to have had the opportunity to serve continuously as an elected Prime Minister for the longest tenure.
- Serving Mother India for such a long time, having the privilege of serving her, is possible only with God's special grace. And for me, the people are the embodiment of God. And that is why I have always viewed this service as a spiritual practice. This spiritual practice has never been solitary; this is a collective 'yagya', in which all of you and many other colleagues have contributed their services with a sense of duty.
- Today, I also express my gratitude to all the companions who have been part of this journey. On this occasion, members of the NDA family have also moved a resolution.
- This reflects your warmth and generosity, for I do not view this journey as a personal achievement. In every respect, it is our collective achievement, a shared accomplishment for every constituent party of the NDA. Therefore, I dedicate this resolution to all of you, to every worker of our NDA family, including those from the BJP. The innate wisdom of the people of India has always been remarkable.
- The people of the country understood the importance of political stability at the national level. It is a testament to the maturity of the people, the ultimate sovereigns, that they have given me the opportunity to serve them for such a long time. The decades preceding 2014 were marked by significant instability and turmoil, causing the country to suffer greatly.
- However, the people are now witnessing the performance of a stable government and appreciating its decisive capabilities. Today, I bow to the great people of this nation and express my gratitude to them. When the NDA won in 2014, I had remarked that a new hope had dawned for the common citizen of the country. It is our collective responsibility to nurture and uphold this hope.
- The people of the country entrusted us with their trust after the betrayal of the Congress. I am satisfied and proud today that as an NDA family, we have forever strengthened the nation's trust. The rising sun of hope in 2014 has today transformed into a ray of renewed confidence. For the first time, the people of India have seen that when a government is run with the right intentions, development also happens at a rapid pace. The lifting of more than 250 million people out of poverty during these 12 years of the NDA government shows that our policies are correct and our direction is right.
- I believe that we must not let those who were poor yesterday, and have now become the 'neo middle class', slip back. Therefore, as a government and as public representatives, we must work day and night. We have put in the utmost effort, driven by the resolve to fulfil the expectations that this nation of 1.4 billion people has placed in us. We must realise the aspirations of India's youth, its women, its middle class, and its farmers.
- A major success of the NDA's 12 years in power is that the country has broken free from the web of Congress's machinations. Today, every citizen of the country is filled with the dream of a Viksit Bharat.
- The dream of a Viksit Bharat is no longer limited to any single individual, government, or political party; it has become the dream and the resolve of every single person in the country. We must dedicate every moment to the fulfilment of this dream.
- Congress had plunged the country into an abyss of helplessness, destitution, and an inferiority complex. The nation was conditioned to believe that development in India inevitably moves at a snail's pace, that rapid growth was simply not possible here. With great cunning, this sluggish growth was labelled the "Hindu Growth Rate", implying that while the style, responsibility, and failure were all Congress's, the stigma was pinned on the country's vast Hindu population.
- In reality, this phenomenon should have been named the "Congress Growth Rate." This "Congress Growth Rate" was characterised by a complete absence of governance, policy, intent, and decisiveness. It was under Atal ji's leadership that the NDA government first came to power; only then did we catch a glimpse of what accelerated development looks like.
- Unfortunately, however, in 2004, the country was once again caught in a vortex of instability and the stranglehold of the Congress.
- Congress dragged the country into multi-crore rupee scams. The nation's destiny changed again when the NDA government was formed in 2014. The country witnessed the pace of development when intent, policy, and decision-making align and work in unison. The nation saw tasks that used to take decades being accomplished in mere months.
- From 74 airports in 2014 to over 160 airports by 2026; from 1,000 kilometres of expressways in 2014 to 6,700 kilometres by 2026; from metro services in just five cities in 2014 to over twenty cities by 2026; and from Rs 700 crore in defence exports in 2014 to Rs 23,000 crore by 2026, the country has traversed a long journey. In 2014, there were only 25 crore internet users in the country; today, over 100 crore users are connected to the internet. In 2014, digital payments were negligible; today, India ranks number one in digital transactions.
- In 2014, India imported the majority of the mobile phones it required. Today, India manufactures over 330 million mobile handsets domestically. In 2014, solar capacity stood at just 2.5 gigawatts; today, it exceeds 150 gigawatts. Ethanol blending was merely 1.5% in 2014, whereas today it has reached 20%. In 2014, the country did not have a single semiconductor unit; today, more than 10 semiconductor units under construction are propelling India towards modernity.
- We made the country's needs the foundation of our policies and decisions, adopting a fresh mindset to take new initiatives. We established a Ministry of Skill Development for the youth. A separate ministry of cooperation was created to strengthen the cooperative sector, and a dedicated Ministry of Fisheries was set up for our fisherfolk. Our focus was clear: no one should be left behind in this race for development
- We enacted legislation for Divyangjan (differently-abled persons) and launched schemes like 'Janman' for tribal communities. Previously, livestock rearers and fisherfolk did not benefit from the Kisan Credit Card; we extended this facility to them as well. Furthermore, our government has provided the 'SVANidhi' credit card facility to street vendors.
- The point is, if so much could be achieved in 12 years, why didn't it happen over the preceding decades? This illustrates the difference between the Congress-era growth rate and the NDA-era growth rate. One system kept people waiting; today's system delivers results. One system used to stall and derail work; today's system ensures that work gets done on time and on a massive scale. The story from 2014 to 2026 is not merely a tale of statistics. It is the story of an India that has, for the first time, begun to run at its full potential, an India that sets ambitious goals and works tirelessly to achieve them
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