Empowering poor a must to defeat poverty: Modi on BJP's manifesto

PM Modi said the aim of the manifesto is to give impetus to India's development and economic growth.

New Delhi, Apr 8: Asserting that "good governance is our mantra", Prime Minister Narendra Modi explained the vision and larger goal of the BJP's manifesto - Sankalp Patra - which was unveiled on Monday at the party's headquarters in New Delhi. Modi said BJP's manifesto reflects aspirations of the people and called for participation of every citizen in nation's development.

He said country's development should become a people's movement. The Prime Minister said that India is a diverse country and , therefore, the approach towards policy making and development should also be multi-dimensional.

"Nationalism is our inspiration, uplifting the marginalised is our vision, good governance is our mantra. To run a national policy we need to work on a multi-dimensional level and that has been included in a 'Sankalp Patra'," Modi said in his address after manifesto release.

Common man's needs have always been at the core of our policies, said PM Modi, adding that BJP government's focus on gaon, garib, kisan (Villages, poor and farmers) would remain unwavered. "Only the poor can defeat poverty, so poor must be empowered," PM Modi said.

He said the aim of the manifesto is to give impetus to India's development and economic growth.

Stressing on the importance of effective utilisation of water, Modi promised to contitute a separate "Jal Shakti Ministry".

"We want the people to hold us accountable and hence we have set out to achieve 75 goals (for the 75 years of independence) by 2022," he said, adding, "It is one mission, one direction for BJP."

In a veiled attack on the Congress, PM Modi said those sitting in air conditioned rooms cannot solve poverty problems.

PM began his speech by thanking entire team that worked for preparing BJP's manifesto.

Speaking at the function earlier, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley took a bitter jibe at the Congress and at P Chidambaram without naming the former union minister.

"This manifesto was not prepared by those with a 'tukde-tukde' or Ivy League mindset. It's rooted in Indian reality. Those who failed in the past decades can't manufacture fresh ideas," Jaitley said.

P Chidambaram was the head of Congress' manifesto committee.

"The NDA and the BJP are already a government in power and we hope to go into our second term. We have been a high performing government," Jaitley further said.