New Delhi, July 30 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday asked people to rally around another “Quit India” movement - 75 years after Mahatma Gandhis campaign against British rule - to rid the country of filth, poverty, corruption, terrorism, casteism and communalism by 2022.
In his monthly radio talk Mann ki Baat, Modi said the next five years could be as decisive as was the time from 1942 - when Gandhi made the “Quit India” call - and 1947 - when India got freedom. He asked the people to make a pledge and contribute towards building a “new India”.
“Just as the five years from 1942 to 1947 were decisive for the country’s independence, these five years from 2017 to 2022 can and must play a decisive role for the future of India. Five years from now, we will celebrate 75 years of India’s independence.
“We must make 2017 our Year of Resolve. In this month of August, we have to come together and resolve: Filth - Quit India; Poverty - Quit India; Corruption - Quit India; Terrorism - Quit India; Casteism - Quit India; Communalism - Quit India,” Modi said in his Hindi speech.
An English translation of the speech was made available by the government.
Modi said Gandhi had given a “Do or Die” call but it was time to “live by and strive for this resolve (and) launch a mega campaign ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ - Attainment through Resolve” from August 9 - the 75th anniversary of “Quit India” movement.
Modi said he could see that the next five years would be a new time segment to “certainly transform that resolve into ‘siddhi’ or attainment”.
The Prime Minister also hailed the GST, launched on the midnight of June 30, as “more than just a tax reform” and said it would usher “in a new culture of honesty”.
He said he had received letters from the countrymen and felt “very happy and satisfied when a poor person writes to say how because of GST prices of various items essential for him have come down, and commodities have become cheaper”.
“GST is a fine example of the collective strength of the people of India. This is a historic achievement. And this is not just a tax reform, it is a new economic order that will strengthen a new culture of honesty.”
Modi also spoke about Indian women’s cricket team for reaching the final of the World Cup, saying “our daughters are bringing laurels to the country in all the fields - be it education, economic activities, social spheres or in sports”.
“Our daughters performed brilliantly in the Women’s Cricket World Cup. This week I had the opportunity to meet our daughters, the members of our Women’s Cricket team. I felt happy talking to them, but I had a feeling that they felt burdened by the fact that they could not win the World Cup.”
He said he urged them to look at the way India supported them and take pride in their accomplishment.
“Look, this is the age of the media. So expectations get hyped up to such an extent that if corresponding success is not achieved, these turn into despair and even resentment. We have seen during many such events where if the Indian players fail, the anger of the country is vented towards the players.”
He said the 1.25 billion people “took this defeat on their own shoulders, never letting the burden weigh down these daughters of ours. I view this as a healthy and pleasant change and I told these daughters that only they were blessed with such good fortune, and hence they should banish any thought of not having been successful”.
The Congress today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks of eradicating corruption during his ‘Mann ki Baat’ programmes but has remained silent on the Panama Paper leaks.
Congress leader Pawan Khera asked Modi what action had been taken against Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh over the Panama Papers issue, citing the case of Nawaz Sharif who quit as Pakistani prime minister.
“The prime minister speaks at length on corruption, but ignores Panama paper leaks. (Yesterday Congress vice- president) Rahul Gandhi mentioned about Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh’s son and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek.
“His (Abhishek) name appeared in the Panama papers, (but) what action have you taken in this regard,” Khera asked, suggesting that Modi should take cue from Pakistan on this.
The Supreme Court on July 28 disqualified 67-year-old Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader out of office.
The Congress leader said the BJP cannot keep “subverting democracy” and “yet come out holier than thou and talk about political integrity”.
He was referring to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar dumping the grand alliance in the state to come into the NDA fold, and the recent defections of Congress MLAs to BJP in Gujarat, ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls.
“Where is the money coming from in Gujarat? Our MLAs said they were offered money (to defect). We are not getting any answers to this in the prime minister’s Mann ki Baat,” he said.
Khera also attacked the prime minister for not doing enough to curb the menace of cow-vigilante groups and “those spreading hate”.
The Congress leader said Prime Minister’s ‘Mann ki Baat’ appears to be “disconnected” from ground realities as it has failed to address issues like unemployment and agraririan crisis.
In his radio programme today, Modi spoke on varied topics ranging from how the new tax reform GST has transformed the economy to extensive relief being provided to the flood-hit states.
“The prime minister’s speech was irrelevant as it did not touch the fundamental issues faced by the country. We did not get answers to several of our questions and it was completely disconnected with what people are thinking,” Khera said.
