• India will become third-largest economy in third NDA term: PM Modi

    Politics
    India will become third-largest economy in third NDA term: PM Modi

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will return to...


    Digital Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will return to power for a third time in 2024 and that India will become the world's third-largest economy during his tenure.


    Addressing a meeting of the NDA in the national capital, PM Modi remarked, "In 2014 (before the BJP-led NDA came to power), our economy was languishing in the tenth position. We are now ranked fifth. During our third term, we will become the world's third-largest economy. We are working hard to achieve this aim."


    Asserting that every fiber of his being is dedicated to serving the country, PM Modi stated that he will not rest until the goals he has set for himself and the country are met.


    "I assure you that I will leave no stone unturned in my efforts. Mere shareer ka haar kann, mere samay ka har shan, desh ko hi samarpit hai," PM Modi said. 


    He added that people have already decided to bring back the NDA to the Centre.


    "These (Opposition) leaders can come close for political reasons, but they can never truly come together. The 2024 elections aren't far away, and the people have already decided to bring the NDA back for a third time," PM Modi said.


    He also expressed confidence that the NDA will receive more than half of all votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections next year.


    "In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the NDA received 38% of all votes cast. Recognizing our efforts to protect our national interests, people placed their trust in us and granted us 45 percent of the (total) vote share in the 2019 elections. "All of our alliance partners are working hard and sincerely, which gives me confidence that we will receive more than 50% of the vote in 2024," PM Modi said.


    He added that the NDA has always prioritized the country before selfish political objectives and that the abuse of opponents has become the Opposition parties' identity.


    "In politics, there can be competition, not enmity. India has always been placed above all political considerations. The NDA government bestowed the Bharat Ratna on Pranab-da (former President and prominent Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee). We also conferred the Padma award to Sharad Pawar, Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Muzaffar Baig, and many other leaders who were not with us. We have always put India above all political interests," PM Modi said.


    Further, in a veiled jab at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remark at a London event earlier this year, questioning why the "defenders of democracies" were unmoved by the current state of affairs in India, PM Modi said that even when the NDA was in Opposition, it never insulted the people's mandate or sought the assistance of foreign powers to destabilize the ruling governments.


    "Even when we were in opposition, we always preached and practiced positive politics. We exposed prior governments' schemes without ever questioning or insulting the people's mandate. We never sought outside assistance against the ruling governments. We never put obstacles in the way of development schemes meant to benefit the country and its people," PM Modi said.


    The NDA leaders who arrived for the meeting also posed for a group photo before heading into a huddle.


    The meeting is part of the BJP's ongoing attempts to shore up the NDA and formulate a joint strategy against the fledgling grand Opposition alliance, 'INDIA,' with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections next year.