Calling it a ‘festival of democracy’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi thanked the voters for their mandate in favour of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh and three other states — one he described as “jeet ka chauka”. Stating that the results validate BJP’s s pro-poor and proactive governance, Modi added that the festival of Holi has begun with BJP’s win in the assembly polls.
Yogi Adityanath, who is set to become the first chief minister in UP to return to power after serving a full five-year term, earlier on Thursday said the “misleading” campaign run by the Opposition over the past 2-3 days has been set aside by the people who reposed faith in the good governance of the BJP.
Addressing party workers at the party’s national headquarters after the poll results and trends showed a clear BJP majority, last evening, he added that people have buried the politics of caste and religion by ensuring victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh.
“People expect our government to act against the corrupt but some are out to protect them by attacking institutions acting independently”, said PM Modi. Stating that this verdict is a guarantee of India’s bright future, he has once again thanked the people for their mandate.
He said that BJP created history in UP with the re-election of a Chief Minister after serving a full-term of five years, after 38 years. Also, he said it has created history for the first time re-electing a chief minister, who completed full-term, he added.
In all other states, he said that BJP has increased our vote share. In Goa, the people trusted us for the third time. We were in power for 10 years, yet we won more seats this time. In Uttarakhand too, we made history. This for the first time that a party has returned to power in that state, he added.
Prime Minister said that he would like to thank voters, specially mothers and sisters, and first-time voters, for ensuring this victory. “Party workers had promised me Holi celebrations would begin from March 10. Now, with this win, they have met the promise”, says PM Modi at victory speech.
Raising the issue of corruption, Modi asks, “Should corruption be eradicated or not? Should the corrupt people be punished or not? In 2014, we promised a clean government. And people trust us to come good on that promise. Should I fulfill this promise or not?”
“But when we act against the corrupt, some people and their whole ecosystem try to pressure and smear the central investigative agencies. These people don’t trust our courts either,” he added.
“I would also like to praise the Punjab BJP workers, who worked under adverse circumstances. I am sure in the coming years, BJP will emerge as a major force in Punjab. It is a border state, and so BJP workers in Punjab will make sure separatist sentiments don’t take root there,” says Modi.
Prime Minister mentioned that the UP chose ‘vikas’, proved wrong all who said it votes for caste. Sharing some of his concerns, Modi hits out at the Opposition and says, “Indian citizens are acting responsibly but some people are constantly pulling down the standards in politics, During the Covid times, these sections tried to mislead people. When our students were stuck in Ukraine, these sections were trying to demoralise our people.”
“These people tried to tie up Operation Ganga to regionalism. These efforts to paint everything in colours of communalism, regionalism is very dangerous,” he added.
In the wake of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, Modi said India believes in resolving disputes through talks. “India has deep economic ties to the two nations engaged in war. This war has blown up prices of petrol, cooking oil and other commodities. Amid this global crisis, if you look at our Budget, it gives the confidence that India is on the path of atma-nirbharta,” he says.
The supply chain worldwide has been affected by Covid-19 and now the Russia-Ukraine war. Amid all this, honest efforts by the government and policies linked to ground realities kept India safe, says Modi and added “Everywhere the double-engine government is in power, people have reaped double benefits.”
