PM drops new mantra for Viksit Bharat 2047

New Delhi: Signallinghis intent for a much longer innings in public life, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that he will neither tire, stop, nor veer away from the path until India becomes a developed nation by 2047.

PM Modi was addressing the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha to mark his 25 years in public office—starting as the chief minister of Gujarat on this day in 2001 and then moving to Delhi as the Prime Minister in 2014.

To this end, Modi gave out two new slogans— ‘we will do it’ and ‘desh ke liye’—which were enthusiastically chanted by BJP workers and supporters at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium’s auditorium. The crowd chanted ‘we will do it’ for every goal PM Modi enlisted, including Viksit Bharat, Aatmanirbhar Bharat, establishing India as a global manufacturing hub, expanding space exploration and even hosting the Olympics. “It would be unfair to our country if we move forward with small and easy goals. This is the time to set big, extraordinary, and ambitious goals for our country,” the PM said.

He emphasised several key ambitions, including building a better India, positioning the country among the top three global economies and eradicating poverty. The prime minister also hit out at detractors of his Viksit Bharat 2047 goal by inferring the mindsets of a colonised country a century ago.

“Some people say that this Viksit Bharat goal is far away. But I want to tell my countrymen, look back at history. A 100 years ago, in 1920s and 30s, after nearly 1,000 years of slavery and its impact, with broken confidence, a poverty-ridden country, with plots to divide society…in such times, even to think of independence would have been so difficult. People were fighting and sacrificing themselves for it. But that India would rise up again would have been such a difficult belief,” he said.

Talking about his public life, the PM said, “25 years of serving the people… I bow to 140 crore Indians for their trust and look forward to serving the nation with greater commitment in the times to come.”

During his hour-long speech, the Prime Minister made several references to the Bhagwad Gita and repeatedly used words such as ‘sankalp (resolve)’ ‘sadhana’ (achievement)’ ‘karma’, linking them with national duty and pride.

He used the incident involving flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar whose timely action saved the lives of over 170 passengers, to invoke national pride and set long-term goals.

“Today, the world is talking about India’s pilot (Machchar). A day will come when the world talks about Made-in-India aircraft. These goals will be fulfilled only when we have long-term goals,” Modi said.

Since 2014, the PM-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been adding to the long list of its flagship campaigns, including ‘Make in India’ and ‘Vocal for Local,’ to instil national pride. Modi contrasted this with the era before he took over as the prime minister in 2014.

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