The BJP’s prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled his ‘idea of India’ and promised a new ‘rainbow’ of development if voted to power. Ready to lead his party in the national elections a couple of months from now, Modi claimed the election was not just an occasion to bring about change in the Government, but help repose the people’s hope and faith in the system.
Modi’s promises read like the contents of the budget of a newly-elected Government: From laying of railway tracks to run bullet trains on the pattern of the Golden Quadrilateral, to setting up 100 new smart cities; from IITs, IIMs and AIIMs in every State to houses for all the poor; and from a price stabilisation fund to insulate masses from inflation to demand-based skill development centre.
Wanting to build “Brand India” to compete in the globalised world, he said his Government would focus on 5Ts — talent, tradition, tourism, trade and technology. He promised better HR planning, a mechanism for real-time data about demand of food grains and major push to the infrastructure sector. Modi played to the fair sex by promising to change their status from ‘homemaker’ to ‘nation builder’. A ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao’ programme on mission mode is what Modi promised under his Government at the Centre.
He claimed family values, agriculture-animals-villages, women power, water-land-forest-environment, youth power, democracy and knowledge form the ‘rainbow’ that has kept alive the identity of India. The Gujarat Chief Minister was at his best in taunting Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and claimed she did not allow Rahul Gandhi to be projected as the Congress’ prime ministerial candidate because she did not want to sacrifice her ‘son’ in the face of an imminent defeat.
“I see a human angle behind this decision of the Congress. When defeat is imminent, which mother will sacrifice her son politicallyIJ The heart of a mother (Sonia) decided to protect her son,” Modi said.
Modi saw a desperate effort by the Congress at the just-held AICC session to save the party and taunted Rahul, saying the party workers had come with the hope of greeting their PM candidate, but returned with ‘three extra bottles of subsidised lPG cylinders.’ Modi also questioned the Congress’ contention that it was following the tradition that the PM should be elected by party MPs and cited the case of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947, Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 and Manmohan Singh in 2004 to buttress the fact that they were not elected by the Parliamentary party of the Congress.
“For 60 years, you have chosen sashak (rulers). I appeal to the people, you have given 60 years to rulers, now give 60 months to this sevak (servant). It is time now for ‘sevak’,” he said while addressing the BJP gathering at Ramlila Ground. Modi told BJP workers to focus on booth management as “booth” was the mother of victory. He also set a target for party workers to reach out to at least 10-crore families with requests for votes and money.
Having the image of a no-nonsense politician, Modi also asked the people to go by the ‘track record’ of a politician and not the “decrepit tape-recorder’ when they decide on whom to vote. In his more than one-hour-long speech, Modi flaunted his humble background and said those born in an upper caste family with a silver spoon in their mouths did not feel like competing with a man who is from a backward caste and who used to sell tea at a railway platform and whose mother earned bread and butter by working as a domestic help.
“Namdars (those born with prominent surnames) don’t feel it is honourable to contest against Kamdars (those who are known for their work),” he said.
Modi also taunted Rahul saying while some leaders consider India a beehive, BJP leaders treat it as their mother. “Some leaders claim poverty is a state of mind, we believe in serving the poor considering them as god,” Modi added.
He also invoked the issue of federalism to play to the non-Congress non-UPA Chief Ministers who have been complaining about the “big brother” attitude of Delhi. In the same vein he promised to work with State Governments to bring Eastern States like Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, eastern UP and other North-Eastern States at par with their Western counterparts like Maharashtra and Gujarat, in terms of development.
Asom Gana Parishad, Trinamool Congress, Biju Janata Dal, Janata Dal (United) and some other regional parties have their base in these States and the BJP considers them as a post-poll ally. In saying so Modi tried to strike a chord with voters of nearly 140 lok Sabha seats, out of which just 28 belong to the BJP.
“Why should New Delhi act like a big brotherIJ Why should only the PM and his Cabinet act like a team. I foresee a situation wherein the PM and the Chief Minister, Union Ministers and their counterparts in the States and the bureaucrats at the Centre team up with those in the States to uplift the status of the people,” Modi said.