Modi advocates development on mass movement

Chennai, Jan 14: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said development should be focused on mass movement and 21st century in the globalised era belongs to India. Addressing the 38th anniversary function of the Tamil Weekly 'Thuglak', he said Gujarat poll verdict had proved beyond doubt that there is hunger for development among the people of the country.

During the freedom struggle, many Indians struggled, but it was Mahatma Gandhi, who turned the struggle into a mass movement and got us Independence, he added. Mr Modi said Gujarat verdict proved that anti-incumbency theory was only a myth. The development and governance would lay a decisive role in deciding election victories, he added.

The Chief Minister said inclusive growth was the need of the hour for development. The voters responded positively to the claims of having fulfilled promises, he added.

Mr Modi said Gujarat during his last tenure witnessed all round growth in agriculture, education, industries and infrastructure. One should not perform and deliver the goods by keeping only the election results in mind, he added.

He said Gujarat people had entrusted additional responsibility on him when they elected him with absolute majority. The development should be taken as a movement by ensuring peole's participation, he added.

He alleged that the UPA Government at the Centre was unable to fight against terrorism, which is a major challenge in the country.

There was no terrorist attack during his tenure and it is this sense of security, which had lingered in the minds of people, while voting back the BJP to power. School drop-outs had been reduced from 49 per cent to three per cent in the last three years and in another two years, the Government would bring it down to zero, he added.

He said poverty need to be alleviated at economic level and not at religious level. ''My view of secularism is overall development, in which every citizen will be a beneficiary'', he added.

He said when he could succeed with the same system and the constitution that governed the entire country, what prevented the others from following his footsteps.

Mr Modi vehemently criticised the Sachar Committee Report and charged the UPA Government's 'Am Admi Agenda', which failed to create any impact during the last three and half years. Even its allies have no other alternative but to criticise the spiralling price rise, he added. He alleged that ideological conflict was amply evident in Left politics when the West Bengal former Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and the present incumbent Buddhadev Bhattacharya were openly advocating for ''socialism after capitalism''.

Mr Modi, who made a dig at the Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's poll promise of free colour televisions alleged that the Congress made a similar promise during the Gujarat poll, but the people realised their gimmicks and true colour and voted them out.

He said his Government would be accountable to the poor, downtrodden and toiling masses in the State. Stern action would be initiated against tax defaulters, who failed to comply with the Income Tax provisions, he added.

Mr Modi alleged that unfortunately media had created an impression that Gujarat people were misled to vote for the BJP.

''Luckily I am not ruling the destiny of Tamil Nadu, or else the people of the State would also be criticised like their brothers in Gujarat'', he added in a lighter vein.

He said when the United States denied him a visa in connection ith the Godhra incident, he had promised to create hundreds of Americans in Gujarat and would compel the Americans to seek visa before entering into his State.

The Chief Minister said there are two models before the country.

A Gujarat model, where development of all and appeasement of none is the prime mantra. On the othe hand, the West Bengal model, which could provide only ''Nandigrams and not Jyotigrams''.One path offers national development, security and prosperity of the poor, while the other offers isecurity, inequality and poverty, he added.

Mr Modi lauded the editor of the Thuglak weekly, 'Cho Ramaswamy' for his contributions to bring political awareness among the masses through his writings, drama and cinema. ''Cho is a true democrat, since he meets his readers every year and opens to self-criticism and indulges in self-introspection. Media has to be more objective, if they are interested in the development of the country'', he added.

UNI