Jibe at Rahul Gandhi? PM Modi says success of India's democracy hurting some people
2 min read . Updated: 19 Mar 2023, 08:23 AM IST
PremiumHurt by success of India's democracy and institutions, some people are attacking it, said PM Modi.
In an apparent jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of the state of democracy in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that some people are hurt by India's democracy and its institutions, which is why they are assaulting it. Whatever India has accomplished so far is a result of the strength of its institutions and democracy, PM Modi added.
The prime minister stated that his government was achieving new results due to working at a different speed and scale than previous administrations. According to him, India is now the fastest-growing economy globally and has made significant strides in smartphone technology, mobile manufacturing and in the startup sector. PM Modi was speaking at India Today Conclave on March 18 when he added that India's economic and banking systems were strong in the midst of the global crisis.
While praising the country's democracy and institutions, which he says have enabled India to achieve success despite attacks on them, Modi also criticised opposition parties for "rallying around over the action of different probe agencies against their leaders in cases of alleged corruption".
PM Modi cited the strength of India's institutions as the reason why the country had been able to increase voter participation, maintain a strong economy, administer over 220 crore vaccine doses and conduct successful elections even during the pandemic. He also took a swipe at pessimistic views of India, saying such opinions harm the country's morale.
Modi said that “India's moment" is unprecedented and that the achievements of the first 75 days of 2023 are a reflection of this. These include the launch of a green budget, the opening of an airport in Karnataka, the next phase of the Mumbai metro being launched, the beginning of the world's longest river cruise and the opening of the Bengaluru-Mysuru expressway.
Additionally, Modi cited the Oscar win for two Indian productions as proof of India making rapid strides in different fields. Modi urged the Indian media to play a global role while highlighting the media's previous coverage of corruption scandals for TRP ratings.
He also praised the success of welfare schemes for the poor, which he says have transformed efficiency, speed and scale, and he cited the distribution of more than three crore houses to the poor in the last nine years. He also praised the Swamitva Yojana, a programme that has mapped land in India through drone surveys and distributed 1.22 crore property cards.
(With agency inputs)