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Lok Sabha elections 2019: On victory in 2019 elections, PM Modi’s one-line response
At their many meetings with party workers, PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have underlined the question that the BJP and the NDA was going to stay in power another term but at the same time, the two leaders have cautioned party workers against being complacent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who believes that the wave in favour of the BJP is stronger in 2019 than it was in 2014, has said he is “absolutely” confident about returning to power in the ongoing national elections. In an interview to Hindustan Times, PM Modi said he had been confident about his win right from the day he took oath as Prime Minister five years ago.
“Absolutely. From the first day. 26 May 2014,” said PM Modi when asked if he was confident about a second term. But PM Modi had never made a secret of his confidence about getting a second term.
During an interaction with students back in 2014, one had asked him for his advice on the things that he needed to do to become the prime minister. PM Modi had then told the student to “start preparing for the 2024 elections … at least till then I am safe”.
At their many meetings with party workers, PM Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah have underlined the question that the BJP and the NDA was going to stay in power another term but at the same time, the two leaders have cautioned party workers against being complacent.
In the interview, PM Modi also countered the perception that the quality of narrative in the 2019 elections had dropped sharply. The prime minister said he had heard many speeches of veteran orators such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee and George Fernandes.
“Their speeches had such statements too but back then, there was only print media. Now, from a 50-minute speech, a 10-second statement is taken and played on loop 24 hours. That said, there should definitely be courtesy,” PM Modi said.
But the prime minister, who ends his election speeches with a reminder to people that every vote for the local BJP candidate was a vote in Modi’s account, stressed that this election wasn’t being fought on the basis of perception, but performance.
“By performance, I mean the various schemes of the government of India; and the local MPs are involved in the implementation of these schemes locally at the grass-root level. To just say that in these elections, there is just a name that is working, that isn’t correct. Naam bhi chal raha hai; kaam bhi chal raha hai (the name is working, sure, but so is the work),” he said.
