When Modi broke down

• Kya maa ki seva kabhi kripa ho sakti hai? (Can serving the mother be a favour?)
• Jaise Bharat meri maa hai waise hi BJP bhi meri maa hai (Like India, BJP is also my mother)
• At the end of the day for whom is the government? It is for the poor
• I will do everything to fulfil people’s aspirations

New Delhi: Narendra Modi, who was unanimously elected as BJP Parliamentary Party leader on Tuesday broke down, while referring to the speech of Advani, where he had thanked him for doing a “favour” to the party, by bringing a massive victory for the BJP.

Generally perceived as a "strong" leader, he turned emotional and broke down as he welcomed his election. His voice choked and he had to pause for a moment, taking a sip from a glass of water. "Advaniji ne ek shabd kahaa aur maine Advanji se prathnaa karonga ki woh iss shabd kaa istmaal naa kare. Unhone kahaa ki Narendra bhai ne kirpa ki. Kyaa maa ki seva kabhi kirpa ho sakti hai? katai nahin ho sakti hai. Jaise bharat meri maa hai waise hi BJP bhi meri maa hai. Aur islay beta kabhi maa per kirpa nahin karta sirf samarpit bhav se maa ki sewa karta hai (Advaniji said that I have done a favour to BJP. Like India, BJP is also my mother. Can serving the mother be a favour? Not at all. A son is only dedicated to serve the mother)," he said and broke down.

"I accept the responsibility you have reposed in me. You will never get an opportunity to look down on what my government will do," he said in a 30-minute speech after he was unanimously elected the leader of the BJP Parliamentary Party by the newly-elected Lok Sabha members and those of Rajya Sabha.

"A new hope has arisen in the common man. This is the biggest significance of this election results. At the end of the day for whom is the government? It is for the poor. The new government will dedicate itself for the poor, crores and crores of youth and for the safety and security of the mothers and sisters, those in the rural areas, oppressed and the deprived," he said.

Referring to the nature of the verdict, he said if it had been a hung or a fractured verdict then one can say that people had vented their anger against the government and that it was anti-establishment. "But by giving BJP an absolute majority they have voted for hope and trust. People have voted for hope and faith. And I will do everything to fulfil their aspirations," he said, adding that he is a man full of optimism. There should be no room for pessimism and because with pessimism nothing can be achieved. Recollecting an earlier speech of his, he said his government's motto will be with everyone and for everyone's development. "This is the time for new hope and strength."

Modi said in 2019 he will meet the MPs again with a report card. My government is not for myself but for the country. The government is for the poor and we want to do something for them, he said. "I will strive my best to fulfil the responsibility you have reposed in me. You will never have to look down on the work it will do." The PM-to be also took the opportunity to praise the work of the past governments, saying every government and its leaders have contributed to the welfare of the country and we will carry forward whatever good they have done. It was not just Modi, but it was an emotional moment for BJP Patriarch L K Advani, Ravi Shankar Prasad and others, as well, who could not stop their tears rolling down, experiencing the historic moment, when the BJP, on its own, for the first time, was able to form the government, without the help of its Allies. Advani, who proposed the name of Modi, as the BJP Parliamentary Party leader, admitted that in most ecstatic moments, he becomes emotional. While congratulating Modi and hugging him, the BJP patriarch clarified his reasons for becoming sentimental, lest others mistook it for something else. Advani, it is no secret was not for selecting Modi as the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate.

For Modi and his confidantes, it was the happiest moment. He wished that former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee would have also been with them, acknowledging the hard-work and contribution made by five generations of leaders since the Jan Sangh was formed in 1951 that paved the way for the BJP forming the government at this juncture. “People did not know what Jan Sangh was,” he remarked and said that he bowed to the party organization. “No one is above organization,” he asserted.

Modi, who had never visited Central Hall of Parliament earlier, at the very entrance of Parliament House, bent and placed his forehead on the steps of Parliament, terming it as the Temple of Democracy. BJP President Rajnath Singh and Modi’s confidantes Arun Jaitley, Amit Shah, Vasundhara Raje, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smriti Irani, besides others, could not stop their smiles, for having finally achieved their goal of the formation of the BJP government led by their favourite leader Narendra Modi.

In his speech that was laced with emotions, confidence and optimism, Modi vowed to work for the poor and the downtrodden, saying that if every Indian takes one step forward, the country takes 1.25 billion steps forward. Terming it as the victory for hope, the Prime Minister-Elect promised to present his Report Card to the people and the country in 2019. He said that he was an optimist, who never sees the half-filled glass empty, but sees it as half filled with water and half with air. “An optimist person can only play a constructive role,” he remarked, while telling his party MPs that it was a vote for them to perform. He said that if it was a fractured mandate, one could have construed that it was anti-establishment, but getting an absolute majority meant that the people had voted for them in the hope that they would deliver. Modi pledged to live and work for the poor, reminding that he, himself, comes from a humble family, who has now been voted as the Prime Minister. This, he said, was the strength of democracy. He said that the 1.25 billion people have high hopes and he will dedicate himself to fulfill their dreams.