The BJP’s two-day ‘Mission 370’ conclave ended with a bang on Sunday afternoon, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at the opposition, particularly the Congress, while he differentiated between ‘rajneeti’ and ‘rashtraneeti’.
Here are the five big takeaways from the prime minister’s hour-long speech:
‘Other countries confident about our return’
In what seems to be brand new information, Prime Minister Modi said not only is India confident about his victory but so are foreign leaders. “I have invites from foreign countries for talks in July, August and September. This means even other countries are confident of our return to power. They also know aayega toh Modi hi,” he said.
About foreign policy, he highlighted the difference between the pre-Modi era and during his tenure. “No PM went to the UAE for 34 years before I went in 2015. Now, five Arab nations have rewarded me with their highest honour,” he added.
Southern push
Recalling his week-long tour across the southern states, PM Modi actively reached out to the residents and recalled their “affection”.
But, taking a subtle dig at those who look at it from a political prism, he said he got a lot of love from south India that pundits cannot calculate. He also mentioned ‘Tamil Sangamam’, which connected Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in a unique way.
The PM fondly remembered how he visited places like Dhanushkodi and Rameswaram, each place with a ‘Ram connect’ in the run-up to January 22 (the day of Ram Lalla idol’s ‘pran pratishtha’ at the new Ayodhya temple).
‘Jai Siya Ram’
Modi put great emphasis on the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, fetching the loudest noise from a crowd of more than 11,000 in a jam-packed auditorium. “We showed courage to solve the works that had been pending for decades. By building Ram temple in Ayodhya, we ended the wait of five centuries…” he said.
Just a while before his speech, the BJP passed a standalone resolution on Ram Mandir titled ‘Jai Siya Ram’. The resolution also connected it to the original copy of the Constitution that had Ram, Sita and Laxman while also saying ‘Ramrajya’ was “in the heart of (Mahatma) Gandhi”. During his speech, PM Modi captured the overwhelming “Ram-centric” emotion of the cadre.
‘Me versus Other PMs’
While Modi has touched upon many issues like women, the poor, other backward classes; one of the overwhelming macro themes of his speech has been the stark difference between his government and the governments of all prime ministers before him.
“I am the first PM who raised the concern of toilets from the Red Fort,” he said, referring to the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Pointing out another difference, he added, “No one bothered to inquire about the welfare of lakhs of Vishwakarma families. No one bothered to think about the people living on the streets and the footpath. We made the PM Swanidhi Yojana for them.”
From health check-ups for 5 crore pregnant women to death penalty for crimes like rape, he cited the differences between India before and after 2014.
‘Sins of the Congress’
“The biggest sin of the Congress was that they did not back away from breaking the morale of our security forces. The Congress left no stone unturned to hurt India’s national security and strategic power,” said Modi, in a sharp criticism of the Congress and connecting it to nationalism as well as national security.
Reminding everyone about the Rafale campaign of the Congress in 2019, he said, “They tried everything to prevent the Indian Air Force from getting the Rafale jets… they raised questions about the surgical strike by our security forces.”
Modi also spoke about how the surgical strike was questioned and proof sought by the opposition. He did not merely attack the opposition, but virtually labelled them anti-India, in a way alleging they have worked against India’s national interest.
But finally, ‘Aayega toh Modi hi’ seemed to be the larger theme of his speech. He may not have started with it, but ended with that BJP workers – from ministers to municipality – have to bring home with. The fact that he is returning to the seat of power, is a given – this was Modi’s concluding message with a subtle suggestion to not become complacent.
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