Consensus among people that country doesn't need 'mili-juli sarkar': PM Modi

New Delhi: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday asserted that the choice of people is the BJP and there is a consensus among them that the country does not need a "mili-juli sarkar" as an era of such governments resulted in loss of optimism and gave a bad image to India in the world.

In an interview with India Today magazine, the prime minister said "Modi's guarantee" is not a formula made for winning elections but it is the trust of the poor.

"Today, every poor person in the country knows that Modi will not back down from his duty. This trust of the poor also gives me the energy that even if I completely exhaust myself or push myself over my limit, I would not let this trust be violated," he said.

Modi also said that to make India developed by 2047, the focus will be on GYAN -- "G for Garib, Y for Yuva, A for Annadata, N for Nari Shakti".

Discussing 'Viksit Bharat @2047', Modi drew parallels between the 1922-1947 period and the next 25 years.

"From 1922 to the period up to 1947, everyone wanted to contribute towards the freedom movement. I see a similar optimism among the people to make India a developed country by the time we celebrate 100 years of independence. This energy is my driving force," he said.

"Hum GYAN pe dhyaan denge, GYAN ko sammaan denge toh Viksit Bharat banega. GYAN means G for Garib, Y for Yuva, A for Annadata, N for Narishakti," the prime minister said.

Asked about the BJP selecting fresh faces as chief ministers of three heartland states Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, Modi said it may appear like a fresh trend but it is not new for the party.

In fact, he said, he is the best example of this practice within the BJP.

Modi pointed out that when he became the chief minister of Gujarat, he had no prior administrative experience and was not even elected to the assembly.

"Most of the other parties today are 'parivarvadi (dynastic)' parties and these find this democratic churn difficult," he said.

Modi asserted that the BJP is a cadre-based party, driven by a clear mission and has the ability to nurture multiple generations of leadership at the same time.

Asked about the BJP not ruling in any of the big southern and eastern states, the prime minister pointed to the party's expanding footprint in the country and said "there is no corner of the country where our party does not have support".

"From local bodies in Kerala to being the principal opposition in many states, our party is doing robust work among the people," he said.

Modi also underlined that the BJP governs in 16 states and is the principal opposition in eight.

The prime minister further said the BJP is in government in six northeastern states, including predominantly Christian-majority ones such Nagaland and Meghalaya.

He also pointed out that "we are the single largest party as far as southern India is concerned, in terms of Lok Sabha seats".

Exuding confidence about the 2024 general elections, Prime Minister Modi said there is a consensus among the people, experts, opinion makers and friends from the media too that "our country doesn't need a mili-juli sarkar".

"We have lost 30 years due to instability resulting from mili-juli sarkar. People have seen the lack of governance, appeasement politics, corruption in the era of mili-juli sarkar. This resulted in loss of optimism and confidence among the people and gave a bad image to India in the world. So, naturally the choice of the people is the BJP," Modi asserted.

The prime minister's remarks assume significance, coming ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in which the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc is set to challenge the BJP.

On the recent Supreme Court judgment on the revocation of Article 370, he said that with Article 370 gone forever and the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- for the first time -- are free to shape their destinies.

Discussing the approach towards development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, he said, "The government has adopted a multi-pronged approach with focus on security, development, investment in infrastructure and human capital and complete re-engineering of government processes through reforms." "We are absolutely on the path of ensuring sustainable peace, stability and prosperity for the people of the region by improving their living standards, promoting economic growth and generating employment opportunities," he said.

Explaining his philosophy of "nation first", Modi said, "Everything I have done, as a 'karyakarta (party worker)', as a CM and as PM, I have always put nation first. Every decision I have taken has been taken with national interest in mind." Noting that often people ask him about how he made a difficult decision, Modi said, "For me it does not seem difficult because I take all my decisions through the single prism of nation first." He also talked about the mantra behind his approach to policymaking, saying, "Main kuch bhi achha lage isliye nahi karta, lekin achha ho isliye karta hu (I do things so that good happens and not for it to look good)".

On his approach of picking difficult and uncomfortable topics such as cleanliness and sanitation, Modi said, "Makhan par lakir to sab karte hai. Karni hai to pathar par lakir karo. Kathin hai to kya hua, Shuruat to kare (Everyone does easy things but it is important to take up difficult tasks. Even if it is difficult, at least make a beginning)." In the interview, the prime minister also said the latent potential of the nation has been unleashed and India's presence and contributions are now highly sought-after in global forums.

He added that the world's consensus today is clear -- "This is India's moment".

Discussing the economic reforms being undertaken in the country, Modi said reforms should focus on improving the lives of people.

He said India's growth journey has picked up at a rapid pace as a result of such reforms.

Modi also exuded confidence in India becoming a USD 5-trillion economy.

On criticism over inflation and lack of sufficient jobs, the prime minister said India has shown remarkable resilience despite two years of a once-in-a-century pandemic and global conflicts disrupting value chains and even causing recessionary pressures across the world.

He pointed out that average inflation during 2014-15 to 2023-24 (till November) was only 5.1 per cent, compared to 8.2 per cent during the previous 10 years (2004-05 to 2013-14).

"Creation of jobs has been the topmost priority of my government. All our efforts have been geared up to the task," he asserted.

Discussing the rapid pace of infrastructure development in the country, the prime minister said infrastructure creation is happening at a never-before-seen pace and all sectors are doing much better compared to 10 years ago.

Explaining the linkage between infrastructure creation and jobs, he said, "It is well known that investments in infrastructure have a large multiplier impact on growth and employment. Hence, we have constantly increased the capital investment outlay." On the impetus towards semiconductor chip manufacturing in the country and other critical and emerging technologies, the prime minister said the semiconductor mission is something that should have started 30 years ago.

"We are already late," he added.

Elaborating on the ongoing efforts in this regard, he said, "We have taken giant leaps in our semiconductor manufacturing mission. Our focus is now on bringing in the entire ecosystem of electronics manufacturing into India which includes the entire value chain." Modi also talked about the efforts to develop India's leadership in Artificial Intelligence.

"We will be working on our own computing power in large indigenous language models, keeping in mind the diversity of Indian languages and our needs," he said.

Talking about the success of India's G20 presidency, Modi said, "We were able to bring focus on human-centric development to the global agenda. We got the developed and developing world to forge consensus. We revitalised multilateralism." Highlighting the induction of the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 during the summit in New Delhi, the prime minister pointed out that India's presidency became a platform to provide a rightful place to the Global South in shaping the global narrative.

Explaining India's position on global issues such the Ukraine crisis and the war in Gaza, Modi said, "I have always believed that honest dialogue and sincere diplomacy should be the preferred path to resolve differences, in an atmosphere free from fear and coercion. Be it in Ukraine or in Gaza, our approach has been guided by this belief." "We cannot let terrorists or violence set the agenda," he asserted.