Not Here to Talk About Modi Sarkar, But About Indians’ Calibre; In Berlin, PM Hails ‘Aspirational India’

Amid cheers of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was in Berlin to talk to Indians about their calibre and not about himself or the achievements of the BJP-led government back in India. He lauded “Young India” and said today’s aspirational youth wanted fast development and understood the need for political stability in the country. Referring to himself, the prime minister went on to say “India’s development and transformation is not because of Modi, it is because of 130 crore Indians”.

“Today, I’m here to neither talk about myself nor the Modi government. I want to talk to you about the capabilities of crores of Indians and sing their praises. When I speak about crores of Indians, it includes not only the people who live there (India) but also those who live here (Germany),” the prime minister said in his address to the Indian community in Berlin. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Modi received a rousing welcome from members of the Indian community at the city’s iconic Brandenburg Gate on his arrival in Germany on Monday.

“Todays aspirational India, young India wants fast development and the youth understands the need of political stability in country,” PM Modi said, adding that it was “privilege to meet the children of Mother Bharti” in Germany. “I see that the new generation of ours, they are seen in a very big way and because of this, there is also young enthusiasm. You took this time out of your busy schedule and came here, I am very grateful to all of you,” he said.

Emphasising that the 21st century was a significant period for India, PM Modi said the country had made up its mind to move forward with a resolution. “And you also know that when a country’s mind is formed, that country also walks on new paths and shows by achieving the desired destinations,” he added.

Modi arrived in Germany on the first leg of his three-nation Europe trip that will also take him to Denmark and France. Here are the key points from the PM’s address to the Indian community in Berlin:

1. On ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’: Modi said India was celebrating 75 years of independence, and the central government had taken it a step ahead by launching ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to mark the occasion. He said, “A decisive government is needed to take India forward. There is no time to lose to achieve the goals as we are celebrating 75 years of independence now. I am the first PM of India born post-Independence. When we celebrate 100 years of independence, we need to strongly work to achieve that aim.”
2. On the end of political instability: PM Modi said people’s desire for positive change and rapid development brought the BJP-led government into power in 2014 with an absolute majority. “It is the vision of the great people of India that in the year 2019, they made the government of the country stronger than ever before. Today’s aspirational India, today’s youth wants fast development… it knows how much political stability and strong will is necessary… That’s why India ended three decades of political instability with the push of a button,” he said.
3. On India before 2014: Modi said before 2014, India was a “work in progress”. But today, there was “Ease of living- Quality of life, Ease of employment- Quality of education, Ease of mobility- Quality of travel, Ease of doing business- Quality of services and products. India was rapidly working towards progress in every sector and achieving new landmarks on that journey.”
4. On the impact of foreign rule: Slamming foreign rule in India, Modi said India’s self confidence had taken a dip as it had been “stomped on”. “Foreign rule stomped on the self confidence of Indians year after year, there was only one way to compensate for it: pump up self confidence and pride in every citizen of India once again. For this, it was essential to have faith in the government.”
5. On governance: “The way technology is being incorporated into governance today, it also shows the new political will of ‘New India’ and is also a proof of the deliverability of democracy,” Modi said on the use of technology in governance. “There used to be around 200 to 400 startups in 2014… Today, we have more than 68,000. You are not bound to carry cash when you are travelling across India… India is ready to take risks today, it innovates,” he said. He went onto add that the Centre had removed over 25,000 compliances and, in the first five years, removed 1,500 laws to unburden citizens. “The country, bureaucracy and government offices are the same but now we are getting better results,” he said.

After his arrival in the morning, PM Modi had tweeted: “It was early morning in Berlin yet several people from the Indian community came by. Was wonderful connecting with them. India is proud of the accomplishments of our diaspora.”

The diaspora organised dance and other cultural programmes to greet the PM at the Brandenburg Gate. “The colours and diversity of India are on display at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate, the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted along with some pictures of the colourful cultural event. “A flavour of India at the Brandenburg Gate! Have a look,” it said in another tweet.

(With PTI inputs)

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