I am driven by 'nation first', some by 'family first': PM Modi's swipe at rivals

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted on Saturday that what is being seen as certain in a world plagued by uncertainty is that India will continue to grow at a fast pace.

Speaking at a conclave of the India Today group, he said he is driven by “nation first” and without naming the opposition, added they are guided by a “family first” approach.

Exuding confidence of his government retaining power in the Lok Sabha polls, Modi said people will see decisive policies and decisions being made in the next five years. He has been working on them, Modi said.

The next five years will be a guarantee of a stable, capable and strong India to the world while development will be taken to new heights, he said.

He said his government has maintained “zero-tolerance” to corruption and given a freehand to investigation agencies, and that is why some people are having a pain in their stomach, an apparent reference to opposition leaders who have accused the government of misusing the probe bodies to target its rivals.

While the Enforcement Directorate had seized only Rs 5,000 crore till 2014, it has attached assets worth over Rs 1 lakh crore and arrested those associated with cyber and narco crimes, and terrorism, he said.

Modi said some people are running a campaign to abuse him but their intentions and commitment are under a question mark.

The country is clearly telling them “so sorry”, he said, in a play at a popular short parody programme of the news channel.

Modi highlighted at length numerous welfare schemes his government has brought over the years to help the deprived sections of society, be it street vendors or the rural poor.

These issues do not make media headlines but impact people, he said, as he dwelt at length the impact of schemes like Mudra and SVANidhi, which provide loans to the poor and street vendors, respectively, for their business at simple and easy terms without guarantees.

In a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Modi said while his government has been targeting ‘Industry 4.0’, a reference to the modern manufacturing process that integrates digital technologies, some people still go to garages and move around tyres.

Gandhi had gone to a garage last year and interacted with mechanics as part of his outreach to different sections of society.

The prime minister said his idea behind rural women using drones, as part of his government’s ‘drone didi’ scheme, was to effect a mindset change in society as well.

Modi said his dispensation has worked to boost ‘ease of living’ of people and underscored his governing philosophy of minimising the role of government in people’s lives.

He said if he had his way, he would remove the government from people’s life by 2047.

A common man should have the freedom to lead his life the way he wants, he said, noting that his government has done away with hundreds of laws and regulations.

Modi said that before his government came to power in 2014, people had to pay tax on income of Rs 2,00,000 while there is no tax now on income of Rs 7,00,000.

The prime minister said he could have distributed tax-payers’ money to draw claps but this is not his way. He believed that people’s lives could be made easier by saving their money.

This is good in long-term and in the country’s interests, he said, asserting that he wants to handover a prosperous India to the next generation.

People have saved over Rs 2.5 lakh crore in direct tax as his government wants the common people to have more money in their pocket, he said, adding that the poor has saved over Rs 1 lakh crore due to the Ayushman health insurance scheme.

While the North East states were the least of priorities of previous governments, Modi said, he ensured that his ministers and senior officers visit the region regularly.

Modi said his ministers have visited the remote region nearly 700 times while he as prime minister has travelled there more than the trips of all the previous prime ministers put together.

This was not done with an eye on elections but as a matter of commitment, he said.

Modi said that he has even launched a vaccination programme, costing nearly Rs 15,000 crore, for animals.

The number of start-ups has risen from a few hundred to 1.25 lakh, and they come from almost 600 districts, he said, adding that this highlights as to how youngsters from smaller cities are leading the start-up revolution.

Under previous governments, the powerful and resourceful were the first to corner facilities by hook or by crook while the common people suffered, he said.

Modi said his government has made ‘ease of living’ of the common people its top-most priority and noted that the period for making a passport is now merely five to six days against 50 earlier.

Before 2014, Income Tax refunds used to take 93 days on an average and it is now less than 10 days, he said.