Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Hindustan Times ahead of Monday’s fourth phase of polling for the Lok Sabha elections. The Prime Minister, seeking a hattrick of terms and third straight parliamentary majority, answered a range of questions.
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Here are some of his top quotes:
On states where BJP could make gains
“Our gains will come from all parts of the country, including from areas that will surprise political pundits. There will also be a significant increase in our seats in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.”
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On not announcing any populist schemes in interim budget
“Due to our track record, we do not need any populist measures going into the elections. They saw that this government inherited a ‘Fragile 5’ economy and scaled it up to make it the fastest-growing economy.”
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On how he is ensuring there is no complacency as BJP is the clear favourite
“Let me explain it to you in cricket terminology. In a Test match, if a team has massive lead over the other in the first innings, the team with advantage still plays with full spirit to create new records. Similarly, we know that the Opposition has conceded defeat and given us a walkover, but our karyakartas remain energised and we are fighting this election with full sportsman-like spirit.”
On issues like religion, caste, freebies, reservation dominating elections instead of “real” issues
{{/usCountry}}“Let me explain it to you in cricket terminology. In a Test match, if a team has massive lead over the other in the first innings, the team with advantage still plays with full spirit to create new records. Similarly, we know that the Opposition has conceded defeat and given us a walkover, but our karyakartas remain energised and we are fighting this election with full sportsman-like spirit.”
On issues like religion, caste, freebies, reservation dominating elections instead of “real” issues
{{/usCountry}}Please do a detailed analysis of the speeches by people from all parties and you will see who is speaking progressive points and who is only focussing on regressive issues. We (BJP) are the only party speaking about creating a developed India, about a net-zero future, about becoming the third-largest economy, etc.”
On people not ideologically-aligned to BJP joining the party
“Earlier, there used to be a lot of misconceptions about us and our ideology. But in the last few years, more and more people are seeing our work and finding our ideology and mission appealing.
So, there is a general movement towards the BJP in larger society itself. The political sphere, too, is not immune to this. So, we welcome anyone who wants to come with open arms, so long as they believe in our vision and mission.”
On what will be the “big theme” of his next term
“The big theme of our third term is about imparting momentum across sectors towards the realisation of this vision. From plans for the next five years to the plan for the first 100 days of the government, we are ready with many targets and are raring to go.”