Aditi Tandon
New Delhi, June 18
In his first public remarks after forming the government at the Centre for the third time in a row, PM Narendra Modi termed the 2024 Lok Sabha poll verdict as “extraordinary” and said the 18th General Election mirrored the majesty of Indian democracy to the world.
Sewak for third time
With the blessings of Baba Vishwanath and Maa Ganga and the affection of Kashi’s voters, I have got a chance to become Pradhan Sewak of India for the third time. I am indebted. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Describing the poll results as an affirmation of the people’s trust in the BJP-led dispensation, he said, “The people have delivered an extraordinary mandate in these elections. This mandate has scripted a new history. Across the world’s democracies, it is rare to have an incumbent government voted back to power for the third straight time, but Indians have done that.”
Modi was speaking in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency from where he won for the third time, albeit with a slimmer margin than before. “Kashi deserves double congratulations for electing an MP and a PM,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the occasion. Modi shared bonhomie with both despite the BJP’s embarrassing poll losses in Uttar Pradesh.
The PM said the 2024 mandate had allowed a government to score a hat-trick for the first time after 60 years. “In a country like India, where youth aspirations are high, people’s dreams unlimited, re-election of a government that has served for 10 years represents a grand victory and a massive public trust,” Modi said countering Opposition jibes that a minority verdict (where the BJP stopped short of simple majority in the Lok Sabha) was Modi’s moral defeat.
In veiled messages to the Congress-led INDIA bloc, which has been questioning the integrity of poll processes, the PM said the LS poll “strongly presents the majesty, strength, scope and depth of Indian democracy to the world”.
Over 64 crore people voted in India in the largest election globally. The number was 2.5 times the number of the combined electorate of EU nations and 1.5 times the strength of voters of G7 nations, Modi said. He said 31 crore women voted in these elections. The number equalled the population of the US, he said.
On the governance front, Modi reiterated his commitment to accord priority to farmers, poor, women and the youth in his third term. “These four segments are the pillars of strong India,” he said, releasing the 17th instalment of the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, a direct cash transfer scheme for marginal farmers.
A sum of Rs 20,000 crore was disbursed to around 9.2 crore beneficiaries today. In all, a sum of around Rs 3.05 lakh crore had been disbursed to around 11 crore farmers under the scheme since 2019, he added.
Seeking to woo farmers, who remained indifferent to the BJP in the recent poll, Modi said his government had prioritised farmers by expanding the Kisan Nidhi scheme and simplifying rules to cover more beneficiaries.
The Prime Minister said the agricultural system had a major role in powering India to the position of the world’s third largest economy. He urged self-reliance in pulses and oilseeds and innovations to boost exports.
“My dream is to see Indian food products on dining tables across the world,” Modi said to receptive crowds, recalling how the first file he signed after becoming the PM, involved farmer welfare (Kisan Samman Nidhi).
“I have called farmers, youth, poor and women the pillars of strong India. I began my third term with measures to empower them, signing to continue the Kisan Samman scheme and approving three crore houses for the poor,” the PM said.
Later in the day at Varanasi, Modi performed Ganga Aarti and reviewed progress at the Dr Sampurnanand Sports Stadium in Kashi. The stadium seeks to enhance sports facilities for local youth.
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