On the completion of three years of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday vowed to intensify his fight against black money and said he is ready to pay any price for the battle. The Prime Minister also asserted that an era of pessimism is gone in India.
Addressing a public rally in Guwahati to mark the three years of BJP-led Government at Centre and one year in Assam, the Prime Minister said, “Till few years back, it was all gloom in people’s mind. People were thinking that nothing will happen. Now everybody is optimistic that India will be a strong nation. Some years back there was stagnancy. However, there is now a new flow. India has witnessed change as honest persons feel that their turn has come and they can live in peace. The youth want to be honest and lead a good life.”
On the issue of black money, the Prime Minister said, “Black money was ruling the roost in the country, honest people were aghast at corrupt persons living life in pomp and show. All those who have black money and benami property, their children drive most expensive motorbikes in the world.”
“In the very first Cabinet of our Government, we had decided to go all out against black money. To unleash fight against those who has amassed benami property and we are committed to the cause of fighting the black money and corruption,” he said.
“I know we will have to pay the price for this, I am ready to pay any price, but I will not go back on my promise to the people,” he vowed.
Thanking the people of the country for standing by him in every decision his Government took, the Prime Minister said, “Demonetisation was a very tough decision. (Opposition) Political leaders tried to create anger and provoke the people. But with the people’s blessings, my Government withstood all the challenges.”
The Prime Minister further said that Britishers never trusted Indians and the subsequent Governments also continued with the same approach. “I have always trusted people. That is why I initiated self-attestation, self-declaration for income tax up to Rs 50 lakh,” he said.
He said that the Government has turned mobile phones into banks as there were less bank branches in the country and post offices were converted into payment banks. “Mobile phones became bank. Old habits were changing. While in earlier regime only 100 villages were connected with optical fibre network, now one lakh villages have the same. Prices of medicine had drastically come down,” he said.
“We are taking irrigation to villages. Introduction of neem coated urea has ensured that there is no crisis of urea and farmers are not made to queue up for urea. Agriculture production has gone up. Introduction subsidy transfer using Aadhaar has ensured that siphoning of Rs 60,000 crore annually is stopped,” he said adding that the entire world’s attention was drawn towards India when India launched 104 satellites.
“I have dedicated my soul and body towards the nation and I will live up to the trust which people of the county has bestowed upon me,” he said.
The Prime Minister further said that the Government has increased the creamy layer limit in OBC reservation from the present 6 lakh to 8 lakh. “This will benefit large number of students as admission to school and colleges will begin shortly. We have done OBC commission and brought large number of people under constitutional system,” he added.