Person derided as tea-seller put India on development path: Anurag Thakur on PM Modi

New Delhi: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday said the Congress had humiliated Narendra Modi as a "tea-seller and a backward person" when the BJP had presented him as its prime ministerial candidate, but the same "honest" leader had put the country firmly on the path of development.

Addressing the National Economic Conclave organised by the Interactive Forum on Indian Economy, Thakur said 'Viksit Bharat', an idea mooted by the prime minister, has become a buzzword which is being debated at conferences, public meetings and political rallies.

"'Viksit Bharat' is not just a dream but a resolve, which we have to turn to reality," the senior BJP leader said.

Thakur said just 10 years back, the nation was in the midst of scams, policy paralysis, a tottering economy and a declining graph globally.

"Leadership appeared weak and ran on remote control. Coalition dharma was only practised to shield the corrupt. The coffers of the country were emptying and investments too were low. This was not good for any country. The poor were getting poorer despite the slogan 'Garibi Hatao' which was given since the time of Nehru," Thakur said.

"When BJP presented Narendra Modi as the alternative, Congress wondered whether a tea-seller would run this country. But this is the beauty of democracy. It rejected the Congress which was out to sell the nation and made an honest tea-seller the prime minister," the senior BJP leader said.

Thakur said it was the same honest leader, who was humiliated as a tea-seller and a backwards by the Congress, that put the nation on the path of development and even performed the ‘pran pratishtha' at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

"We had promised to run the country sincerely and take the country forward, which we did for the past 10 years by giving a corruption-free government," Thakur said.

Modi demonstrated the change in approach an honest leader can bring about in the country, he said, adding that the prime minister encouraged honesty and said no to corruption.

Thakur said under the stewardship of an honest leader, India has now overtaken the UK to emerge as the fifth-largest economy in the world.