Modi asks NDA MPs to gain trust of minorities, remove fear

New Delhi: Set to begin his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a major outreach to the minorities and asked the newly-elected MPs of the BJP and its NDA allies to gain their trust by breaching the “illusion of fear” instilled in them by certain parties because of vote bank politics.
He underscored that everyone would have to be taken along for the country’s progress and cited the example of the first war of Independence in 1857 when members of all communities worked “shoulder-to-shoulder” to get freedom from the British rule.
“We have to re-ignite that spirit to attain self-dependence and remove poverty,” Modi said while addressing the newly-elected Lok Sabha members of the BJP and its allies in the Central Hall of the Parliament.
Accusing the opposition parties of keeping the minorities confused and frightened, instead of working for the improvement of their education and healthcare, Modi said, “Unfortunately, minorities of this country have been kept in fear, used in elections. We have to end this cycle…We have to breach the illusion of fear and insecurity.”
Insisting that his government would be working for 130 crore people of the country without discriminating against anyone, Modi underlined the need for winning the trust and confidence of the minorities.
“Those who vote for us are a part of us. The ones who don’t, are also a part of us,” the Prime Minister said, stressing that no one must be left behind and there should be no discrimination.
“We have worked for ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, now we have to strive for ‘Sabka Vishwas,” Modi added.
The Prime Minister said it would have been good for the country if the minorities had been given equal role in the economic and social development of the country.
“But for the sake of vote bank politics, minorities are kept in the illusion of fear and insecurity. They were kept away from everything. They were used during elections. We have to breach that deceit.
We have to gain their trust,” Modi said.
Modi said elections often divide and create gulf but 2019 polls united the people and society. There was a pro-incumbency sentiment in this election and its result was a positive mandate, he said, adding that there is no better path than serving people when in power.
“We ran the government for poor people between 2014-19 and I can say the poor elected the government this time,” he said. He also called for the NDA to work with cohesion for the country’s development and said his “naara” (slogan) for the alliance is “national ambition and regional aspirations”.
Asking MPs to work together with him, he said that they should shun arrogance as it is people — not their personality, any caste or Modi — who elected them.
The vote share of BJP and its allies rose over 25 percentage points in this general election, he said, adding in a lighter vein that in absolute terms the rise is as much as the votes polled by US President Donald Trump.
“Wave” is a light word to describe the mandate the NDA has received, he said, noting that the NDA won more than 50 per cent votes in 17 states.
He said the NDA will work to meet national ambition with regional aspirations and invoked BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee to underscore his party’s commitment to the National Democratic Alliance, first stitched during Vajpayee’s time. There should be energy and synergy in the alliance, he said.
The BJP has had uneasy relations with some of its allies in the last five years before it worked to repair them ahead of the 2019 election. All of its allies, including JD(U)’s Nitish Kumar, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray and Akali Dal’s Parkash Singh Badal, were on the dais when Modi spoke to the lawmakers. (Agencies)