He came, he spoke and he conquered!

Narendra Modi, when he delivered his first speech in the Central Hall of Parliament for the meeting of BJP’s parliamentary party, was replete with all ingredients that are required for a perfect dish. His speech had determination, resolve, orientation, planning, emotion et al. Earlier in the day, Modi stooped and touched his forehead to the steps of the pink sandstone building in reverence before entering the Central Hall. Modi was formally elected as BJP’s parliamentary party’s leader. BJP patriarch LK Advani proposed Modi’s name, calling him a “popular and famous” leader. Party veteran Murli Manohar Joshi seconded the proposal. In his acceptance speech, Modi spoke with grace, humility and confidence and credited party seniors who “hoisted me on their shoulders” and millions of party workers for his tea-seller-to-PM journey. He promised to be back in Parliament and present to the people his report card in 2019. This was an awesome, inspiring and emotional speech. We are all sure that India will progress under his wise leadership. It was very touching indeed! There is now hope for the uplift of the downtrodden. Modi’s speech was excellent and emotional, touching everybody’s heart. He is a great orator and delivers speeches as per the occasion. When he bent his head with emotion, I am sure everyone’s eyes were filled with tears. A speech replete with optimism which provided the listeners with plenty of room to look high. It is said that an army of stags led by a lion is more formidable than an army of lions led by a stag. True to this idiom, India, today has a leader who is an optimist, forward looking for development, inward looking for corrections, whose eyes shed tears for the plight of the poor and his mind tells that they too can be uplifted. The voters have done it right by placing the country in the hands of such a person. The cue from his saying that if every citizen takes one step forward, it would mean giant leap for the country, is that he as a leader who will endeavour his best to get the cooperation from all, something which is essential. The next few days will really be an eye opener for both the PM-designate, as he takes over, and the citizens, as we come under a different whiff of policies that can be far reaching. During his speech, I genuinely felt the feeling for the poor of our country. I think he will surely do something better for Indians. He reiterated that India has enough natural resources to satisfy the needs of our people—provided we utilise them with our brain and modern technologies. After the basic need of the people, corruption is the major issue we are facing. If Modi can do something better on this issue, the people will stand together with him. Against this backdrop, his speech came across as honest and straightforward. He didn’t engage in mindless platitudes like other so called ‘leaders’ engage without meaning anything. After a long time, it is finally felt that India has a PM who is a man of action, who means business and who has a definite road map for the country. It is noteworthy that while one is elated by the extent of BJP’s unexpected triumph, one was hesitant, given the level of expectations of the voters and scale of the challenges at hand, given the myriad problems the country is facing.

After Modi’s speech, one feels more optimistic of overcoming the challenges under his leadership. It is worth mentioning that Modi’s speech had two very touching points for me. His views that those who could not give up their lives for the country can live for its progress, and his readiness to appear before his colleagues in 2019 to give a report of his government’s achievements stand a clear testimony to his innate spirit of optimism and his determination for struggle to reach the targets. The country, as a whole, should wish him well and look forward to seeing him perform. However, there were other messages, loud and clear in his speech that considers the bastion of democracy—Indian Parliament—to be the most sanctified venerated place, which should be held in the highest esteem by all those, who get elected there. Modi has soft humane kernel shelled in hard principled political prerogatives. Modi expressed his patriotic love for Mother India in assertive terms. Modi is steadfastly sure in fulfilling the rising expectations of myriads of Indians. His wish to elevate the conditions of the poor will be seen in days and years to come. He faces immense challenges on the road to fulfill his dreams about eradicating poverty. Also to look out for is his foreign policy—will India champion the rights of developing countries around the world? Also, will India ask for a permanent seat in the Security Council of United Nations under Modi’s administration? So far, Indian leaders have been very silent on these subjects. Finally, having seen Modi’s speech in the Central Hall of Parliament, I would like to say that we have got a politician, who is a leader. We have got an administrator, who is a thinker. We have got a visionary, who can see beyond the boundaries—an idealistic man, who is popular amongst the masses. A man, we can trust. A leader, who will deliver. I wish Modi best of luck in his new assignment and hope India will march 125 crore steps forward under his able rule.

Deepak Kumar Rath