In his maiden speech after the 2024 Lok Sabha election results were declared on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will continue to take big decisions in its third term and strike hard against corruption.
Stating that the Constitution of India is a “guiding light”, Mr. Modi said the “NDA has always worked for all sections of society and 25 crore people were pulled out of poverty, including many from the SC [Scheduled Caste], ST [Scheduled Tribe] and OBC [Other Backward Class] categories.”
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“We should all work for the country together, national interest comes first. Constitution is our guiding light, the [framing of] Constitution will complete 75 years this year. We will work with all State governments, irrespective of the party. This is the time to work for a developed India. After six decades, the Indian electorate has created history. After six decades, an alliance - the NDA alliance - has got the opportunity to serve the country a third time,” the PM said.
Addressing party workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters in Delhi, Mr. Modi said that this was the first time in six decades that the government has returned to power for a third straight term and the mandate is the victory of the biggest democracy in the world. He said the BJP on its own has won more seats than all the Opposition parties combined.
He acknowledged the contribution of women voters thanking them for reposing their faith in him.
“It is an emotional moment for me personally, this was the first election after my mother passed away. But the mothers, daughters and sisters of this country never let me miss my mother. They gave me unprecedented love, it cannot be measured in numbers. Women broke all voting records. The love cannot be expressed in words, it is etched in my mind. Women have given me a new inspiration,” Mr. Modi said.
He added that women-led development is at the centre of the government’s policy and they will work to provide new opportunities for women.
He said the voters of Jammu and Kashmir have also shown unprecedented enthusiasm by voting in record numbers. “They have also shown a mirror to those who try to defame the nation. I salute the people of J&K on this occasion of victory,” he said.
He thanked the BJP workers for toiling hard in excessive heat for the past two months.
“Today is Bada Mangal [auspicious Tuesday] and today NDA government is returning to power for a third time. We are thankful to the people for their faith in NDA and BJP. Today’s victory is a win for the world’s biggest democracy, it is a win of 140 crore people,” he said.
Besides conveying gratitude to voters in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Odisha, where Assembly elections were held, he thanked Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) N. Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar for a stellar performance in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly election and Lok Sabha election respectively.
“If India wants to stride ahead, it will have to strike hard on corruption. Digital India has curbed corruption, but the fight is getting harder. There are attempts to defend corruption. When they cross all limits of shamelessness to defend corruption, the thrust of the third term of NDA government will be to end corruption,” he said.
Published - June 04, 2024 10:57 pm IST
