Some people think democracy is in their pockets, says PM Modi

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress and took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi without naming him, saying some people carry the Constitution in their pockets and think the country's Constitution and democracy are indeed in their pockets. Addressing the India Today Group's Bharat Kisan Conclave, Modi said these people continue to display what he described as an "undue sense of entitlement" despite no longer being in govt. "Even when they are not in office, they behave this way. It is a strange kind of intoxication of power," he said.

During his speech, he recalled an incident from his tenure as Gujarat CM, alleging the then central govt had pressured researchers to seek its approval before publishing economic rankings. The PM said that Gujarat had secured the number one position in an economic performance list published by an organisation named after a former PM, with the ranking based on research conducted by some of the country's leading economists. "The people in office in Delhi could not accept Gujarat being honoured. They actually instructed the researchers that things would not work this way and that, before publishing any report, they would have to seek our approval," said the PM.

Speaking on agriculture, the PM stressed that agricultural development, smarter farming and farmer empowerment are key to building a 'Viksit Bharat'. He underlined that India offers growing opportunities in everything from agri-engineering to agri-startups, and said the focus of his govt is on empowering farmers to become agricultural entrepreneurs.

Citing a World Bank study, he claimed nearly 50 crore people had come out of poverty over the past 12 to 13 years and highlighted that small farmers and agricultural labourers were among them, while rural areas had witnessed a significant decline in poverty.

Earlier in the day, Modi said that India will achieve its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047 as the mindset has changed and targets set by govt, which appeared impossible, have been met. "When a deadline is set, priorities change, the way of working changes and the speed changes too. And the achievements with which India is moving forward today, achieving the goal of a developed India is not impossible. Just think what India has achieved in the past few years," Modi said during a post-Diwali meeting with journalists at BJP headquarters.

"The 2047 deadline doesn't mean that we have to wait until then. Remember the freedom movement; the goal of 'Poorna Swaraj' was not going to be achieved in a year or two. But smaller goals were set. They were fulfilled and then belief grew in people that freedom would surely come and the whole country stood up with this resolve." "The same belief in the country will take us to the goal of a developed India. We will move forward by achieving many small and large goals..." the PM said.