“All Indians will walk together and make the country progress…the third term will be used to write new chapters of bold decisions and it is a guarantee of Modi,” the PM said in his address to BJP cadres who had gathered to applaud the verdict that will lead to the third consecutive Modi-led regime.
If he was feeling disappointed over the results, Modi did not show it. Nor was there any indication that the reduced numbers would act as a restraint on him as the PM asserted that his drive against corruption would continue.
“If the country has to progress in the 21st century, then we will have to wage a war against corruption. Digital India and technology have given wings to containing corruption, but this fight is becoming difficult. Glorifying the corrupt with extreme shamelessness is giving strength to them. However, the third term of NDA will be utilised to eradicate corruption in all forms,” he said, an assertion which appeared significant in view of opposition’s aggressive denunciation of alleged misuse of central probe agencies.
Lok Sabha Elections
Assembly Elections
The trademark assertiveness extended to his digs at Congress and the praise of Election Commission for “showing the mirror” to those who doubted the integrity of polls.
Modi said the Lok Sabha polls were a victory of democracy and a reflection of people’s unflinching faith in the country’s Constitution and gave a boost to the pledge to make India a developed nation.
Hailing the EC, its officials and security personnel, the PM said 140 Indians should be proud of the credibility of the country’s election process. “I exhort people of the country, influencers, opinion makers that they should make the whole world aware of the country’s electoral process, as it has given a new identity to the country,” he said, an apparent response to opposition parties’ continuous attack on the poll panel.
The PM said NDA’s win was the victory of the world’s largest democracy, of unwavering loyalty to the Constitution, of the pledge of a developed India, of the mantra of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas’, of 140 crore Indians.
Taking a swipe at opposition parties amid their celebrations over NDA’s reduced victory margin, Modi said, “Our opponents together could not win as many seats as BJP alone has won in this Lok Sabha election.”
Stating that it was an emotional moment for him, Modi said, “This was my first election after my mother passed away but believe me, millions of mothers, sisters and daughters of the country never let me feel the absence of my mother. Wherever I went across the country, mothers, sisters and daughters gave me unprecedented love and blessings.”
The PM said 10 years ago, the country gave a mandate for change as that was the time when the country had sunk to the depths of despair. “We were blessed with terms like ‘fragile five’, newspaper headlines were filled with scandals every day, and the country’s young generation became apprehensive about their future. Then the country entrusted us with the task of extracting pearls of hope from the deep ocean of despair. We all tried and worked with full sincerity. In 2019, expressing faith in this effort, the country again gave a massive mandate. After this, the second term of NDA became a guarantee of development and legacy,” he said.
Modi further said, “In 2024, with this guarantee, we went to every corner of the country to seek people’s blessings. Today, I bow down with humility to the blessings that NDA has received for the third time.”
He once again assured that the next tenure would be an era of women-led development with more focus on emancipation of youth, farmers and a campaign on a war footing to wipe out poverty, making it a thing of the past.