LUCKNOW: Calling upon citizens to join him in turning India into a USD 5 trillion economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit out at those who have cast doubts about his government’s new mantra, terming them as “professional pessimists.”
Addressing party workers in Varanasi while launching the Bharatiya Janata Party’s mega membership drive on Saturday, Modi said many people had described the economic goal as “unachievable” but he insisted that such “criticism only strengthens my resolve.”
“Woh jo saamne mushkilon ka ambaar hai, uss hi se to mere haunslon ki minar hai (I draw strength from the heap of troubles in front of me),” Modi said lyrically through a verse before mocking at his detractors.
“I have full faith that we will become a USD 5 trillion economy through our collective effort. But there are a few who say what is the need for this.
They are professional pessimists. They are different from the common people.
Most people will help others find solutions to their problems. But the professional pessimists will put you in more trouble if you go to them for a solution,” Modi said.
“A discussion on the ways and means of achieving the difficult target must happen but rejecting it downright can’t be the right approach,” he said, slamming the budget’s critics.
Opposition parties, civil society and liberal intellectuals have often attacked Modi for his lofty objectives such as the Make in India programme, doubling of farmers’ incomes by 2022, generating millions of jobs, stimulating rapid growth and reviving investment.
The PM has hit back at them, calling them English-speaking elites and armchair pundits whose advice he did not need as they belong to the “Khan Market gang.”
Describing himself as the “son of Kashi,” Modi exhorted the BJP cadre to toil harder in the coming days and go door-to-door to explain the government’s dream of a USD 5 trillion economy.
He said the country was on the threshold of racing ahead with big aims. “The size of the cake matters,” he said, implying that the bigger the cake, the greater would be the share of everyone.
In his typical manner that endears himself to the common man, he praised the strength, resolve and dedication of the country’s citizens in order to achieve these goals and called upon them to dream big to achieve big things.
“No dream can be fulfilled by the government alone without people’s participation. We first need to have faith and then work towards achieving our dream,” he said.