PM Modi in Conversation with Sakal

The Managing Director of Sakal Media Group recently had an exclusive interview with the Prime Minister, who chose Sakal as his preferred platform for discussing national plans and the political landscape of Maharashtra, especially with elections looming. During the interview, the Prime Minister shared insights into his vision for the country and offered his perspective on the current political scenario in Maharashtra.

Here's what he had to say

1. With the first two phases of the elections completed, what is your outlook for the BJP’s performance, and what message do you believe the voters are sending??

The first two phases have been exceptional for the NDA.

The people of India, especially the youth of India, the women of India, the farmers of India… are sending a very direct message that we want development, development, and development.

They do not want vote bank politics, corruption, or instability- all of these principles which the INDI Alliance stands for.

The people of India want a government which works for them, a government where the line of leadership is clear, where the leadership has a proven track record.

Today, the people of India are asking what is this ‘one-year, one-PM’ formula of the INDI Alliance?

Who is their Prime Ministerial candidate? What is their team which will guide India? And, they are not getting any satisfactory answer on that.

The poor of India have seen the work of our government and they are saying that what we have achieved in 10 years, the Congress, which ruled for 60 years, was not able to achieve. So why should we once again waste our vote on the Congress party?

The people of India are also giving a strong message against dynastic politics. They don't want a handful of families to control them. They want the power to shape their own destiny. They want the power to chart their own development course. And they feel that the NDA is the only alliance which can do that.

?So, I am getting very positive signals from the first two phases and this will continue in the coming phases as well.

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2.?How do you rate the performance of your State Government?

The Maharashtra government, led by Shri Eknath Shinde Ji, assumed office during challenging times.

In 2022 there was still the looming threat of Covid-19 and the scars of the previous couple of years. But more than that, the government faced an additional hurdle of undoing the policy paralysis under the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition. This paralysis stemmed from a lack of accessibility, right at the top of the Government, because they seemed preoccupied with their own public relations rather than addressing critical issues. Their coalition was falling under the weight of its own contradictions. Consequently, developmental projects suffered immensely. People were getting extremely agitated and impatient. It was also not missed on the people that the MVA experiment was not in line with the mandate of the people, who wanted a BJP-led Government with the Shiv Sena.

In such a context, the change in Government happened. With our Government coming, many long-pending infrastructure initiatives are finally gaining momentum. Over the past two years you would also have seen, Maharashtra has witnessed a noticeable improvement in governance.

The heightened push to infrastructure is one of the most significant differences that one can see. If we take Mumbai city itself, we now have India’s longest sea bridge, the Atal Setu. With this, we have brought Mumbai and Navi Mumbai closer in a true sense.

The Mumbai Metro is also in the works, almost nearing completion and parts of the project have been inaugurated. Thereafter, the Coastal Road has also been partially opened, which truly is an engineering marvel in the heart of Mumbai city and will address the traffic issue faced by Mumbaikars.

Coming to Pune, in 2023 itself I had inaugurated parts of the Pune Metro. There is also the new Pune Airport, which I learn is something all Punekars have been longing for and will bring great connectivity to the city.

There is also the Mumbai Nagpur expressway (Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg) which has brought Mumbai and Nagpur closer to one another as it has shortened the travel time to seven to eight hours.

All of these projects, which 10 years ago were drawings in a book or sitting in files in the Mantralaya are now nearing completion or are already in use. This has a remarkable impact on the “Ease of Living” for the people of Maharashtra.

We can also see the timely & transparent implementation of schemes benefiting marginalised communities such as Dalits, tribals, and OBCs. The constructive synergy with the central government has undoubtedly contributed to this positive trajectory, marking a commendable performance by the Eknath Shinde-led government.

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3.?Many in the opposition are saying that this time your seat tally in Maharashtra will go down. What do you think?

The opposition should redirect their focus to their own seat tally. After a decade of ineffectiveness, they risk further alienation from the electorate. They have failed as an Opposition and instead become like a gang of Urban Naxals with no real constructive agenda. If anything will go down, it is the opposition's credibility.

Their concerns about our seat tally, particularly in Maharashtra, have consistently been proven unfounded, as seen by our victories in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as well as the subsequent Assembly elections. On each of these occasions, the BJP emerged with flying colours, thanks to the trust the people placed in us.

At the Centre, our alliance has been entrusted with governance due to people's support. I am confident that this trend will persist in future elections as well, and the people of Maharashtra will once again elect maximum NDA MPs.

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4.?Do you think the SS UBT, NCP SP and Congress pose a threat to your alliance in Maharashtra?

The people of Maharashtra are going to vote for good governance and development.

The people of Maharashtra are going to vote for an alliance which has a proven track record.

The people of Maharashtra are going to vote for a government which will fulfil the aspirations of the youth.

And that is the NDA!

The MVA parties can never provide good governance. Their alliance is a very incongruous alliance.

The same people who abused Balasaheb Thackeray and the same people who disenfranchised him, they are now their allies. People are seeing through all of that. People are seeing through how every principle has been violated in that alliance.

People have also seen the misgovernance during the MVA time, especially in terms of the inaccessibility at the very top.

So, therefore, I don't see any threat from the MVA. They have been unable to even agree on candidates in a few seats. There are fights going on. They are threatened by each other more than anything else.

5. How do you react to the constant personal criticism of you by formal ally SS UBT’s top leaders?

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I have never ever reacted to personal criticism directed towards me. My political opponents across India have been using explicit expletives, abusing my family, caste, and even mocking my humble beginnings. However, these attacks do not matter to me.?

My focus remains steadfast on serving the people of India and fulfilling their aspirations. I remain fully committed to my responsibilities.

Regarding your specific question, these individuals have thrown the worst insults at me even during our time in the same coalition. Out of respect for the coalition spirit and our longstanding relations of many decades, I chose to overlook their behaviour then. I continue to do the same even now. I feel their words speak more about them, than about me.

However, it's evident that over the years, such personal attacks have not resonate well with the people or even their own cadre, MPs, and MLAs. This has compelled them to change their political journey and follow the path of Balasaheb Thackeray.

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6.?Building up from the earlier question, what makes Maharashtra unique is the role that cooperative societies play in the State as well. It is the first time that any government in the Centre has focused on this. What was the thought process behind the same?

Right from my time as Chief Minister of Gujarat, I have prioritized the development of the cooperative sector. I believe cooperatives are the major drivers of the rural economy and previous central governments totally ignored the potential that cooperatives have to transform the rural economy.

That is why I established a separate Ministry of Cooperatives for the first time in independent India to give exclusive focus for revitalisation of cooperatives across villages and realize the vision of “Sahakar Se Samriddhi”. The vision was that “Ease of Business” is not limited to companies but also to co-operatives who work at the grassroot level.

Since then, we have launched the national cooperatives database containing accurate information about cooperatives at the state, tehsil, district and village level ?and undertaken digitisation of 65,000 primary cooperative societies, district cooperative banks and state cooperative banks. This will improve accountability and transparency in the way cooperatives function. Every single farmer, every single mahila stakeholder of a cooperative society will be able to monitor the functioning of their cooperative society.

We are establishing a multi-purpose cooperative society in 10,000 villages which do not have a cooperative society yet and this will significantly enhance the income of every rural citizen. We are also working to diversify the business of PACS from traditional operations to a multi-purpose model running Jan Aushadhi Kendras, LPG dealerships, petrol pumps, fertilizer distribution centers and Pani Samitis. This will further increase the income generation and employment generation opportunities for cooperatives.

Maharashtra has always played a major role in the development of the cooperative sector in India. Through digitisation, diversification and passing of model laws, we are ensuring democratization of cooperatives. Decades old pending income tax cases against sugar cooperatives have been resolved resulting in Rs. 46,000 crores benefit to sugar cooperatives. Cooperative sugar mills are being given preference for buying ethanol and a Rs. 10,000 crore loan to strengthen? sugar cooperatives. Farmers and women will no longer have to worry about single families controlling cooperatives as their personal fiefdoms. We will empower Cooperatives to become the engine of rural economy.

It is high time that we allow cooperative societies to truly work for the welfare of the public rather than as an instrument of wealth and power for certain political leaders.?

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7.?This is a sensitive topic but one that has largely affected the people of Maharashtra and India at large. Terrorism. Fortunately, ever since the BJP has come to power, terror attacks have drastically reduced and are now non existent. What do you attribute this to?

In 2014, when I first contested the elections, there was an atmosphere of fear. Every major city in India had borne the brunt of terror attacks. Be it Guwahati, Delhi, Jaipur, Mumbai, or Pune.

A city like Mumbai bore the brunt of these attacks time and time again. The train blasts in 2006, 26/11 or the blast in the Opera house (2011). Each time this happened, the people were helpless. Even in Pune, we saw the German Bakery blast but nothing was done.

The callousness, the insensitivity the UPA Government displayed both before and during these terrorist attacks are etched in the heart of every Indian.

On one hand, the country was fed up of terrorism and on the other hand leaders were shedding tears for slain terrorists.

We changed the approach. Today our security agencies are given a free hand and complete authority to deal with any and all terror threats.

Through strengthening laws against terrorism and improving coordination between various central agencies and state forces, we have established a zero tolerance policy towards terrorism.

Through surgical strikes & air strikes, we have established a precedent that forces backers of terror to think twice before attacking India. Today, our enemy knows that ‘Modi ghar mein ghuskar maarta hai’

Only a Surkashit Bharat can result in a Viksit Bharat.

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8. The Opposition in Maharashtra has levelled charges against the BJP relating to misuse of investigating agencies and over clean chits granted to certain leaders, what is your view on that? Do you believe that this is a fair criticism??

The opposition has a problem with the efficient functioning of investigation agencies. These agencies existed before we came to power, their mandate existed before we came to power, the laws existed before we came to power. The agencies are doing the job they were created to do. Our government follows the rule of law. It follows due process.

Clean chits are not given by me or even by investigative agencies but by the courts. Similarly, any punishment, conviction, denial of bail is done by the courts.

My fight against corruption will continue unabated.

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9. The buzzword this election season has been “inheritance tax”, and in a State such as Maharashtra wherein the financial capital of India is located. This has put off many. What is your view on this?? ? ??

This is a dangerous plan and has the potential to derail the growth of our country.?

It is ironic that a party which has been passed on as inheritance to successive generations wants to take away the hard earned money and assets of the common man.

The combination of inheritance tax and wealth redistribution makes it very clear why they want to do it.

They will raid the savings of the poor and middle class. They will raid the land of the farmers. They will raid the ornaments of our women. They will grab the hard earned money you have saved for your children’s education. They will grab the small house you have made for your children. All this will be grabbed to fund their redistribution scheme for selected minorities.?

Right from Manmohan Singh ji to others, they have repeatedly said that Muslims have the first right on the resources of the country. So, all the resources grabbed from the common man will go towards their vote bank.

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10. Most recently, the Supreme Court’s verdict on EVMs was announced wherein the Court reinforced the credibility of EVMs. What is your view on this whole controversy made out by the Opposition? ??

This judgement of the Supreme Court further strengthens democracy in India. The attempt by the INDI alliance to subvert democracy by raising baseless allegations against EVMs repeatedly has been put to rest by the Supreme Court.

These parties very well know that people of India are going to overwhelmingly reject them and thus tried to spread misinformation about EVMs again and demand a return to ballot papers. I think they will still not stop and keep racking up some or the other false issue. Their ultimate aim is to confuse and demotivate the voter.

INDI alliance parties are yearning for the days where they can silence the voices of the poor, SC, ST, OBC and women through booth capturing and ballot stuffing. People of India will not allow such subversion of democracy ever again.

We are also seeing another worrying trend. The opposition parties are using AI and technology to create fake videos of me and our leaders saying things we have never said. Because they don’t stand a chance to win against us in a proper fight, they are resorting to such shameful tactics.

11. In this sweltering summer, when everyone is getting tired, how are you keeping up the energy? Meeting after meeting, galvanizing large scale public support, consistently doing road shows, 3-4 rallies a day while others lose steam after 1. What is your secret?

I do not think that this energy or stamina is due to any of my efforts or my achievements.

When I see the amount of public meetings and roadshows I do, I feel it is only due to the blessings of God.

At any point of time, I am doing multiple things together. I am also running from one place to another. All this is only possible with the help of divine blessings and power.

I am thankful to God for giving me this kind of strength and making me an instrument to serve people.

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12. ?What is Modi’s Guarantee for Maharashtra if you come to power again?

My guarantee for Maharashtra is further expansion of the massive infrastructural, economic and industrial development of the state.

The guarantee of Doubling of lending limit under MUDRA we have made in our Sankalp Patra will help realize the dreams of enterprising youth and women of Maharashtra.?

We will empower SHGs in Maharashtra with new age skills and ensure market access for their products and enable Nari Shakti of Maharashtra to become ‘Lakhpati Didis’.

Our guarantee to further scale up PLI schemes and Make in India programmes along with various ease of doing business measures will fuel more investments and innovation in Maharashtra’s growth.

Our manifesto makes a major push to make India a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, green energy, EV manufacturing, AI, electronics, and Fin-tech services and Maharashtra will be empowered to become a leader in these new and emerging sectors of the economy.

Our focus to strengthen the cooperative sector and empower Annadatas to lead better lives will continue. Through better use of technology, we will ensure hassle free crop insurance and quicker payout to our farmers.

My guarantee to Cooperatives of Maharashtra is that they will be enabled to become multi-purpose cooperatives with diversified business from fishing to farming and providing high value agri-services at the grassroots.

The vibrant small trader and MSME community of Maharashtra will be immensely benefitted from the guarantees made in our Sankalp Patra.? Massive simplification of compliances, launching of small traders insurance products, access to affordable instant credit and access to global markets through ONDC and expos that we have guaranteed in our Sankalp Patra will empower MSMEs and small traders of Maharashtra to become global champions.

I will also ensure that the traditional handicraft, textiles and art forms of Maharashtra will be showcased at global platforms and these crafts will be turned into sustainable livelihoods. This culture of the great land of Shivaji Maharaj will be preserved, celebrated and spread to every part of the country and the world.

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