“Headlines today about corrupt protesting action against them”: PM Modi takes dig at Oppn

In a jab at past governments at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that prior to 2014, news headlines were largely about frauds costing crores found across industries and people taking to the streets in protest.

“But the headlines today are majorly about the corrupt taking to the streets to protest action in corruption cases,” PM Modi said.

As the country is commemorating the ‘Amrit Kaal’ (golden period) and is on track to commemorate 100 years of independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the India Today Conference 2023 on Saturday and focused on the main takeaways of his government in the first 75 days of this year.

PM Modi said, “It’s been 75 days this year. I only want to talk about the past 75 days of this year. In these 75 days, a historic green Budget was presented and a greenfield airport was inaugurated at Shivamogga, Karnataka. Also, in these 75 days, work on the next phase of Mumbai’s Metro Rail project was started. It was also in the first 75 days of this year that the world’s longest river cruise was flagged off in the country and the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway was dedicated to the nation.”

During these 75 days, a stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway was also inaugurated, allowing for speedier and more convenient travel between the two cities.

“A Vande Bharat train, connecting Mumbai to Visakhapatnam, was flagged off and the permanent campus of IIT Dharwad was also inaugurated in the first 75 days of this year. Also, 21 islands of Andaman and Nicobar were named after recipients of the Param Vir Chakra. All these happened in these 75 days,” PM Modi added.

During these 75 days, the country also saw the debut of E-20 fuel after attaining 20% ethanol blending in gasoline, as well as the opening of Asia’s most modern helicopter manufacturing plant in Tumkuru, Karnataka. PM Modi also mentioned Air India placing bulk aircraft purchases with Boeing and Airbus, probably the world’s largest aircraft contract.

Over the last 75 days, he added, 10 crore teleconsultations were completed through the e-Sanjeevani app, 8 crore new tap water connections were provided, rail network electrification was completed, a new batch of 12 cheetahs arrived at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India’s Women Under-19 team won the inaugural U19 T20 World Cup, and the country basked in the glory of ‘RRR’ and the ‘Elephant Whisperers’ winning at the Oscars this year.

PM Modi went on to say that in the previous 75 days, India held 28 critical G20 meetings, the Energy Summit, and the Global Millets Conference and that over a hundred nations also attended the Aero India Summit in Bengaluru, which showed the country’s aviation ability.

PM Modi went on to say that a link through UPI was established with Singapore to promote smooth monetary transactions between the two nations and that the Government also organised rescue and relief for thousands of earthquake-hit people in Turkey and Syria as part of ‘Operation Dost’.

Also referring to the first-of-its-kind Indo-Bangladesh gas pipeline that was inaugurated earlier on Saturday evening, PM Modi said, “All these developments bear testimony to this being India’s moment.”

While his administration is focused on creating infrastructure including roads, railroads, ports, and airports, he claims that the world is drawn to Indian culture and soft power.

“Today, Yoga has become popular all over the world. There is an enthusiasm and global appeal for Ayurveda as well as traditional Indian food and beverages,” Prime Minister Modi said.

He said that Indian cinema and music were attracting worldwide attention, citing the twin Oscar triumphs. He said that India’s millets, Shree Anna, were reaching the distant reaches of the planet.

He went on to say that the world recognises India’s ideas and capacity to contribute to the “Global Good,” whether through the International Solar Alliance or the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

“This is why the world is saying today that this is India’s moment,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated.

He further mentioned that several countries throughout the world were restoring old Indian idols to their proper places.

“The feature of the India Moment is the promise coupled with performance,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Prime Minister Modi stepped up his attack on the opposition by saying that the media, which has garnered a lot of TRPs in the past by reporting scams, now has the chance to cover the action against the corrupt to improve their rating points.

He stated that there used to be daily headlines about bomb blasts in cities and Naxal assaults, but now there is just news about peace and development.

He recalled that there used to be news about large infrastructure projects being halted in the name of the environment, but now there is positive environmental news alongside news about the construction of new motorways and motorways.

He further stated that news stories about terrible railway accidents had dwindled to a trickle, with newer trains, such as the Vande Bharat express, consuming more news space and headlines. He stated that while Air India was previously in the press for fraud and debt, it is now in the news for negotiating the largest aircraft sale in Indian aviation history.

“The India Moment has brought this positive change through promise and performance,” Prime Minister Modi added.