'Bharat Ki Baat' Town Hall in London: PM Modi Reflects on Journey From Selling Tea to Heading World's Largest Democracy – Highlights

London, April 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the 'Bharat ki Baat, Sabke Saath' town hall in London, where he is on a state-visit to attend the meeting amongst all the heads of Commonwealth Nations. During the event moderated by noted lyricist and CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi, PM Modi recalled his journey from being a tea-seller on the railway tracks to heading the world's largest democracy.

The Prime Minister's address was also aimed at catering to the electoral constituencies back home as he took potshots at the prime Opposition party, Congress, accusing it of depriving the nation of development throughout its six-decade rule in the nation. The PM also sent out a strong geopolitical message, calling the surgical strikes of September 2016 as a "tit-for-tat" response to Pakistan's misadventures.

Highlights of PM Modi's address at 'Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath':

• On his life as a tea-seller, the Prime Minister said that was the "persona of Narendra Modi". But the one who is being hosted at the UK's Royal Palace is a "representative of the 130 crore Indians".
• Crediting the people of India for his rise as a public leader, Modi said he would forever remain indebted to the masses for electing him as the Chief Minister of Gujarat and then the Prime Minister of India. "People are equivalent to Gods in a democracy and if they wish, even a tea-seller can become their representative and shake hands at the Royal Palace," he added.
• Modi said over the years he has noticed the Indian citizens even in the remotest part of the nation are turning aspirational. "If a person has a cycle, a person then aspires for a scooter. If a person has a scooter, person aspires for a car. It is natural for people to aspire. India is getting increasingly aspirational," he said.
• The Prime Minister, while agreeing that people in India are "impatient" to see the nation scaling new heights of development, said he is not irked by the impatience.
• "You're impatient only when you expect something. People have more expectations from us because they know that we can deliver. People know that when they say something, the Government will listen and do it," Modi added.
• On the achievements of the government in the past four years, Modi said his government is making the nation self-reliant.
• The government is assisting the people wherever required in order to empower them. "Over 11 crore people are benefited through the Mudra Yojana," Modi said.
• Neem-coated urea is another major achievement of his government, Modi said.
• "18,000 villages did not have electricity. So many women do not have access to toilets. These realities of our nation did not let me sleep. I was determined to bring about a positive change in the lives of India's poor," he added.
• "I do not need to read books to understand poverty. I have lived in poverty, I know what it is to be poor and belong to the backward sections of society. I want to work for the poor, the marginalised and the downtrodden," he added.
• Raising the maternity leaves to 26 weeks was another step cited by Modi while claiming that his government is committed to improving the lives of women.
• PM Modi stressed on the fact that one should do the harshest criticism possible of the Modi government. However, in the race of breaking the news first, people don't research well. I would want people to criticize the governance of our government. But then, one should keep allegations and criticism on different parallels. Hence, I have always welcomed criticism!

Key Questions asked to PM Modi:

• What was going through your mind when the surgical strikes (in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir) was carried out by the Indian forces?

PM Modi said the purpose of the surgical strikes was to avenge the terror attack on Indian forces in Uri, which left 19 soldiers dead. The message of the surgical strikes did not undermine the sovereignty of any nation, he asserted. "However, if our adversary continued to stab us in the back, continues to infiltrate terror on our land and kill innocents, then Modi knows how to respond in their own language," the Prime Minister said.

• How have you succeeded in roping the general populace in nation-building?

Responding to this question, the Prime Minister said he is inspired to "turn development into a people's movement by Mahatma Gandhi". Recalling the Mahatma's struggle, Gandhi said he involved the ordinary people in each and campaign which he initiated during the independence struggle. Secondly, Modi said, he believes the "job of people in a democracy does not end with casting their vote once in five years".

• How do you perceive the teachings of Lord Basaveshwara (the founder of Lingayat stream of thought)?

The question held political importance as Lord Basaveshwara is the most revered seer among the politically influential Lingayat community in Karnataka. Responding to the query, Modi said he has been inspired throughout his life by the teachings of Lord Basaveshwara. He, however, took a jibe at the Congress saying that it is unfortunate that the country's young generation in independent India was never taught about such personalities.

"It's our country misfortune that after independence, attempts were made to erase the culture & history of India. People were kept from anything but one single family. What Lord Basaveshwara did for women empowerment, democracy & social causes is an example for the world," Modi said.

There were a lot of questions asked to the Narendra Modi, to which the PM answered candidly. Whether the programme and dialogue with the Indian diaspora went well down with the people back home, is for time to tell.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2018 12:07 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).