Full Speech : Shri Narendra Modi at Maha Garjana Rally in Mumbai

Published By : Admin | December 22, 2013 | 21:18 IST

Present on the dais, National President of Bharatiya Janata Party, Shri Rajnath Singh Ji, respected Nitin Gadkari Ji, Shri Gopinath Munde Ji, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy Ji, Shri Devendra Ji, Shri Eknath Khadse Ji, Shri Vinod Tawde Ji, Shri Ashish Shelar Ji, all the senior leaders present on the stage and I salute the Maharashtra of Chhatrapati Shivrai, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Chartrapati Shahu and Mahtma Phule..!

I am confident that Maharashtra will lead to realize the dream of Congress free India..! Friends, probably no one would have had the fortune of seeing such a mammoth phenomenon in the history of Mumbai..! Just heads can be seen from corner to corner of my sight..! I extend many congratulations to all the Bharatiya Janata Party workers of Maharashtra state and India for their hard work that they have put in to make me witness this historical event..! I have full faith that lakhs of people from here will reach every corner of Maharashtra with a resolution to change..!

Friends, for us, the people of Gujarat, Mumbai is like our second home..! I always feel that the way Gujarati language is taken care of in Mumbai, it seems as if Mumbai is the motherland of Gujarati language, where it is taken care of so well..! Actually before 1960, we were part of the same state, we were part of the Greater Maharashtra. We got separated 50 years back, Maharashtra is our elder brother, and Gujarat is the younger brother..! But when Gujarat got separated, there were discussions that how will this state progress..! They do not have water, natural resources or industries; there is Registan (dessert) on the other side there is Pakistan, how can Gujarat grow in such conditions..! Friends, when we got separated there was nothing, but today Gujarat has touched new peaks of prosperity and it has proved that well being of common man can be done, common man can be taken care of and circumstances can be changed..!

Friends, I am looking at Gujarat and Maharashtra simultaneously, and probably even my friends from media have also not noticed this, I also did not notice it till yesterday when it came to my attention that both Gujarat and Maharashtra started their journey as independent states on 1st May 1960. In all these years, Gujarat has had 14 Chief Ministers while Maharashtra had 26..! Tell me that what kind of political mannerisms have prevailed here that in the same span of time when Gujarat had 14 Chief Ministers, Maharashtra had 26..! One comes and the other starts working to overthrow him..! Friends, till the time we will not understand the character of Congress party, we will not be able to find solutions of the problems of our country. The reason of problems of our country is not the people, geography, history or natural resources of our country, but the reason of our problems is Congress ruled governments..! And thus, if we want to get rid of these problems, there is just one solution; we have to liberate India from Congress, we have to fulfill the dream of Congress free India..!

Friends, Mumbai is that same land from where in the independence movement, a voice echoed from August Kranti Maidan, an appeal was made - Quit India..! That appeal became a mantra in the entire nation and in the end Britishers had to leave India. The voice that started from this land of Mumbai, the mantra of Quit India brought independence to India. Friends, from the same land of Mumbai, once again a cry shall start - Congress free India..! The land which gave the slogan of Quit India, the same land uproars - Congress free India..!

Friends, Congress is completely submerged in votebank politics..! For this, it has been a specialty of Congress to create rifts in the society, to divide and rule. Congress has learned to divide and rule while fighting the British..! When country got freedom, they divided India in three parts. Free India was brought together by Sardar Patel, the mantra of unity resonated all around, while in the same time Congress divided India in the name of languages and provinces and sowed the seed of hostility amongst brothers. Make villages and cities fight with each other, fight for rivers, shed blood for water..! Even today, there is no state in the country which is not fighting for distribution of water for 50 years. The Congress government ruling Delhi and Maharashtra never hesitates to set brothers, races, fraternities, cults and sects against each other. This secures their vote bank politics, and thus Congress party engages in this kind of politics. Friends, till we will liberate the country from such vote bank politics and bring the country on the track of politics of growth, the problems of this country will not be solved..!

Friends, Bharatiya Janata Party has proved by its economic policies, its political philosophies and by its work culture that it is devoted to the mantra of development, to the politics of growth and without growth, no welfare can be done of the poor, underprivileged, victims and exploited..!

Whenever I discuss Gujarat, a few people start feeling uneasy, and thus I do not want to discuss Gujarat, today I want to discuss Madhya Pradesh. Madhya Pradesh has been counted as a sick state, Congress government turned Madhya Pradesh into a sick state, but in the able leadership of Shivraj Singh Ji, BJP took the journey of growth a step ahead and today Madhya Pradesh is free from the blot of being called a sick state..! Earlier, there was not much progress in the sector of agriculture and farming, but the government of Shivraj Ji, the government of BJP in Madhya Pradesh emphasized on the task of irrigation, and spent on irrigating as much land as possible. At a time Haryana, UP and Bihar were considered the largest producers of paddy crop, and these three states used to stock the granaries of this nation, but today I proudly say that with the efforts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh government of BJP, today these two states produce unprecedented amount of wheat and rice and the farmers, people and governments of these states have realized the task of filling granaries of the country..! What is the reason that all the irrigation projects in Maharashtra have ended in the ditch of corruption, what is the reason that the farmer of Maharashtra has to face droughts time and again, what is the reason that is forcing the farmer of Maharashtra to commit suicide..?

Friends, if there was BJP government in Maharashtra as well, if there was the mantra of development here, then the villages and farmers of the state would not have faced this plight, the farmer would not have been forced to commit suicide..! The farmer would have been happy and prosperous..! But Friends, Congress never believed in the politics of development. I am amazed that Congress is in the power in Delhi, whether the leaders of Congress are in government or not, all the actions are taken with their consent, but when the same people give speeches, it seems as if they are talking about someone else’s government, or some other nation..! Yesterday I heard a speech of a top Congress leader. He was talking against corruption; look at their guts, no one can dare to do so..! These people who are submerged in corruption from top to bottom, who are infamous for corruption and still they can dare to make an innocent face and talking against corruption..! And look at their audacity that when at one end their government in Maharashtra has decided to save all the Ministers who have been found to be responsible in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, and on the other end one of their leaders is preaching against corruption in Delhi..!

Friends, Congress will have to understand; they say something else and do something entirely different. They don’t do anything except the politics of vote bank. All their life is steeped in communalism. Minoritism and Communalism have been the tradition of Congress. The government of Manmohan Singh Ji has sorted 90 districts in the country which have higher population of Muslims, and have announced big budget grand schemes for them. The Muslims of the country started feeling that now something good will happen, many things were written in newspapers also, everyone applauded..! Recently someone asked a question in the Parliament that what has been spent on the schemes for minorities in the 90 districts for which announcements were made, then the government which plays the game of votes in the name of minorities, answered that not even single penny has been spent in three years. How do these people play politics for votes, this incidence is a live example of it..!

In Gujarat, there was system and tradition of octroi, because we were separated from Maharashtra. We, from the point of view of reforms, decided that we would eliminate it, and it was done 6-7 years back in Gujarat. What was done in Maharashtra..? In the name of eliminating octroi, Local Body Tax, i.e. LBT was levied. Do you have problems with LBT or not..? Friends, this LBT is nothing but just a Loot Bant (loot sharing) Technique..!

Leaders in Delhi were lecturing on black money. Now you tell me that when it is their government, then it is their responsibility to stop black money or not..? Whether people of India have knowledge about any subject or not, but they know one thing that the people who rob the country, where do they keep their black money..? You tell me where is this money kept..? Every child of India knows that this black money is kept in Swiss Bank. Now you only tell me, should that money be brought back or not..? Should this money be used for good of people or not..? Should it be spent on the under privileged or not..? Should that money be invested on poor, villages and farmers or not..? All the MPs of Bharatiya Janata Party in the leadership of Shri Lal Krishna Advani have given in writing that their no money is deposited in any foreign bank. We are saying that Congress people should also give the same in writing, but they are not ready..! Those who give lectures on black money, I want to say to them that if you have the courage, then make a legislation in parliament, form a committee and get the robbed money back to India from every corner of the world and distribute it in the poor..! But they do not want to do it, because they know that if they do it, they will face consequences of their own actions, so giving speeches is easy but they do not have the strength to take decisions, because people of their own party are engaged in this sin..!

Friends, I have been reading in newspapers and watching on television that tea vendors have been given special VIP passes for this program. The wind of change has started, and in the coming days, not only tea vendors, but every poor person of India will become a VIP..! For us every poor person is a VIP, not just tea vendors..! Just now Ashish Ji was complaining that Modi Ji is giving speech here and the government has got the cable TV telecast stopped..! This does not just happen in Maharashtra, for me this is a problem of every single day. Wherever I go in a non BJP ruled state, they have just one method left so that people can’t see Modi on TV..! My Friends from Congress, listen carefully, that whether Modi is on TV screen or not, but he has made his space in the heart of people. You can put a ban on the TV screen, but you can’t put a ban on the heart of people..!

Friends, today the biggest problem in front of the nation is unemployment. The youth of country is craving for employment, he wants employment, he is ready to work hard, he is ready to leave behind his family, his home and his village. Today the youth of nation has become hopeless. 65% of population of India is of people under the age of 35. The country that has such huge power of youth, the nation which is the youngest nation in the world, can do miracles..! You tell me that the youth should get the opportunity of employment or not..? Should they get work or not..? Should they get a chance to live with pride or not..? But it is not visible at all in the policies of Delhi government that the youth of country lives with dignity, becomes a part in the nation building and gets an opportunity..!

Friends, entire world is focusing on skill development, but India is the only country that keeps forming new committees for skill development. Committees are constituted under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, and no meetings take place for three years..! Friends, there should be emphasis on skill development, there should be concern for the dignity of the poor labors. The mantra in India should be, ‘Shram ev Jayate’, that means labor alone wins..! The labor should be respected in our country, this should be the mantra of our nation and it can be done. I want to give you an example of Gujarat, that what can we do for the dignity of common people and no budget is spent in it. We took a small decision. Since children of poor family can’t study, so they go in ITI, and becomes turner, fitter, plumber, operates lathe machine, becomes wireman. He does such small courses and after that he searches for job..! About this we took a historical decision that the student who is 7th, 8th or 9th standard pass and complete ITI of two years, will be considered as 10th pass. The student who joins ITI after 10th, will be considered to be intermediate passed and if he wants to do diploma engineering, he can go for it, with this. If after performing well in diploma, he wants to complete degree in engineering, then he will always have doors open for him..! By this decision the children of poor and widow mothers have got good opportunity. Can’t it be done in entire India..? But the Congress Government of Delhi does not care about the youth of this country..!

Friends, there is huge corruption in this country, should this country get freedom from corruption or not..? Should corruption come to an end and can it be done..? I will give you an example that it can be done. Friends, I will give you an interesting thing about Gujarat and Maharashtra. There is a check post at Bhilad in Gujarat and on the same road two kilometers away there is a check post at Achhad on Maharashtra side. Second, there is a check post at Songadh in Gujarat and there is a check post at Navapur in Maharashtra. On that route the vehicles that pass from Gujarat check post, same vehicle pass from Maharashtra check post also and pay the toll tax at same rates at both the places. The only difference is that our check post has technology, it has IT network, human intervention is less and everything is automated, while in Maharashtra, everything is manual. The result is that while in last ten years the income of the check post in Maharashtra is 437 crore, and the income of Gujarat check post in 1470 crore..! The income of Gujarat check post is 1033 crore more than the check post in Maharashtra on the same road. Where did these 1033 crore rupees go..? Should Congress answer this question or not, are they accountable or not..?

Friends, it is not so that there is no solution to the problems. Today the youngster, does not matter how educated he is, keeps on applying everywhere for job. You all apply, give exams, but is there any guarantee that you will get the job..? Marks are good, you have done well in exam but before interview, there is felt a need of a reference, because without reference, even after good marks, job is not available and for reference, bundle of Gandhi notes are required, if you do not have the bundle, nothing can happen in the interview..! You tell me, this is the situation or not..? Where will the son of a poor, widow mother get money or reference for the job..? So, he will have to lead his life this way only..? Friends, there is a solution of this as well..! We did an experiment in Gujarat. We had to recruit 13,000 teachers, so we decided that we will not take any interview, we asked everyone to apply online and provide with all the mentioned information. Lakhs of youngsters applied and provided all there information online. Later we selected the candidates who were the highest 13,000 scorers, and directly sent the order of recruitment to their addresses and today all of them are working as teachers..! Who says that corruption can’t be eliminated..? Friends, if the nation decides once that they want to change the situations then conditions can be changed..!

Friends, do you get 24 hours electricity in Maharashtra..? Is their electricity in villages here..? No, isn’t it..? Gujarat is in your neighborhood where there is 24 hours electricity 365 days a year..! At times, I went to Shirdi & Nashik via Saputara by road, and I noticed that all the villages have same kind of boards. I asked there that how to know that which village is of Gujarat and which is of Maharashtra, then people said that there is no need to look at the boards for that, the villages which are illuminated are of Gujarat, while those which are in darkness are of Maharashtra..! Why is it so..? The reason is the policies of government..!

Friends, you must know that Sardar Sarovar Dam is constructed on river Narmada, electricity is also being generated at that dam and Maharashtra has the right on some part of it as well. More will be the amount of electricity generated, more will be the share of Maharashtra. But, to produce electricity, water is needed, now construction of Sardar Sarovar dam is over, just the gates need to be put in place, but for last 5 years, because of political reasons, Delhi government is not giving us permission to install the gates..! I asked the Prime Minister that let us fix the gates, and if you feel that because of it any village will have the problem of water logging, then we will not shut the gates, we will let the water flow out but let the gates be put, because they are so massive in size that it will take three years to install them..! All the gates are ready, but we have not been getting permission since last 6 years. If Delhi Government allows me to install those gates, and if you put pressure on your Chief Minister and on Delhi Government and if all the gates are installed on Sardar Sarovar Dam, then Maharashtra government will get free electricity worth 400 crore rupees every year. Friends, we are ready to give, but they do not want to receive even..!

Friends, if we want to develop, then development is possible. The biggest problem in front of the country today is of good governance. We have got ‘Swaraj’, the independence but not ‘Suraj’, the good governance..! Lokmanya Tilak gave a slogan from this land of Maharashtra - Swaraj is my birthright. The country kept fighting with this mantra and got freedom. Today, it is need of the hour that we all together cry out - Surajya is our birthright..! Before independence freedom was our birthright, after independence, good governance is our birthright. Today, the root cause of all the problems is our bad governance..!

Friends, it doesn’t matter how fit your body is, how strong it looks, the weight is right, height is good, you sleep sound, you have no breathing troubles, everything is fine, but once you get diabetes, then visually there will not be any difference in your look, but gradually the body becomes host of various diseases, the entire body gets weak and then destroyed. This bad governance is also like diabetes..! The bad governance of states becomes the cause of various illness of the state. And thus Friends, till the time we start the politics of good governance, we will not be able to do any good to the nation. This is why that when today I have come to you, I emphasize on good governance..!

Friends, see what the difference in two visions is..! At one side government is hell bent in bringing to pieces and selling off the national pride INS Vikrant, of which the entire Indian army is proud of, which has brought honour to India in the battlefield. And at the same time in Gujarat, we are thinking of collecting iron from every corner of India to construct a grand building, we are trying to build a historical heritage while they are planning to bring one to pieces..! We want to bring pieces together and realize the dream of unity, we want to keep the historical inheritance alive and these people are planning to break the inheritance in pieces, this is the difference of vision..!

Friends, today when I have come on the land of Mumbai, I want to think of Bollywood, I want to think of our film industry. Friends, this is the centenary year of our film industry. Nowhere in the world does it happen that so many movies in so many languages are made. We have a priceless treasure, an invaluable strength. If there was vision and judiousness then Delhi and Maharashtra governments would have taken an important step to take film industry to new heights, seminars would have been conducted, there would have been discussions on technology, and there would have been discussions on their contribution to the development of India..! Friends, so many movies are produced, according to it, a film university should be there or not..? There should be a full-fledged university for human resource development for film industry, for technological research, for research on history..? But Friends, the people engaged in the vote bank politics lost this golden opportunity as well..!

Friends, I want you all to say a slogan and speak it with all your strength..! See, in elections vote are asked for parties, there have been so many elections and votes have been asked for parties in all of them, but I want that in 2014 elections, votes are not asked for parties but for the country..! Country is larger than the party, so we want to give a mantra, want to make the voice raised from Mumbai reach out to India, that in 2014 elections, do not vote for parties, but for the nation..! Vote for India..! Friends, I will speak and then you say after me - Vote for India..! For freedom from dynasty culture - Vote for India, for liberation from corruption - Vote for India, for freedom from inflation - Vote for India, for freedom from bad governance - Vote for India, for unity of India - Vote for India, for a better India - Vote for India, for politics of good administration - Vote for India, for politics of good governance - Vote for India, for the politics of development - Vote for India, for the security of nation - Vote for India, for public security - Vote for India, for a house to live - Vote for India, for foods to eat - Vote for India, for medicines for the ill - Vote for India, for the welfare of poor - Vote for India, for improvement in education - Vote for India, for employment to the youth - Vote for India, for dignity of women - Vote for India, for welfare of farmers - Vote for India, for a self dependant India - Vote for India, for a stronger India - Vote for India, for a prosperous nation - Vote for India, for a developmental India - Vote for India..! Friends, with this mantra of ‘Vote for India’, we will reach out to every corner of the country..!

Friends, with all your strength, raise your hands and say with me,

Bharat Mata ki Jai..!  Bharat Mata ki Jai..!

Vande Mataram..!  Vande Mataram..!  Vande Mataram..!

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Prime Minister: What are the benefits of maintaining cleanliness?

Student: Sir, it helps prevent diseases, and we will always remain clean. Moreover, if our country stays clean, people will understand the importance of keeping the environment tidy.

Prime Minister: What happens if there is no toilet?

Student: Sir, diseases spread.

Prime Minister: Indeed, diseases spread. Reflect on the past when toilets were scarce, 60 out of 100 households did not have them. People would resort to open defecation, which became a major cause of illnesses. Women, particularly mothers, sisters, and daughters, suffered the most. Since the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, we first ensured toilets were built in schools, with separate facilities for girls. As a result, the dropout rate of girls has significantly reduced, and they are now continuing their education. So, has cleanliness not proven to be beneficial?

Student: Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister: Whose birth anniversaries are we commemorating today?

Student: Gandhi ji’s and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s, Sir.

Prime Minister: Alright, do any of you practise yoga?... Oh, wonderful, so many of you do. What are the benefits of practising asanas?

Student: Sir, it makes our bodies more flexible.

Prime Minister: Flexibility, and?

Student: Sir, it also helps in preventing diseases and promotes good blood circulation.

Prime Minister: Good. Now, what do you like to eat at home? When your mother asks you to eat vegetables and drink milk, how many of you resist or argue about it?

Student: We eat all vegetables.

Prime Minister: Does everyone eat all vegetables, including bitter gourd?

Student: Yes, except bitter gourd.

Prime Minister: Ah, except bitter gourd.

Prime Minister: Do you know what the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is?

Student: Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister: What is it?

Student: Sir, it is a scheme introduced by you, which is benefiting many girls. We can open an account under this scheme up until the age of 10. When we turn 18, it helps us a lot with our education. We can withdraw money from this account.

Prime Minister: Exactly. The Sukanya Samriddhi Account can be opened as soon as a girl is born. The parents can deposit Rs. 1,000 each year, which equates to about Rs. 80-90 per month. Suppose, after 18 years, she needs money for higher education—half of the amount can be withdrawn for that purpose. And, if she is getting married at 21, money can also be withdrawn for that purpose. If Rs. 1,000 is regularly deposited, at the time of withdrawal, she will receive around Rs. 50,000, with about Rs. 30,000-35,000 as interest. The interest rate for daughters is 8.2%, which is higher than the normal rate.

Student: There is a chart that suggests we should clean the school, and it shows children engaged in cleaning.

Prime Minister: Once, I was in Gujarat, and there was a teacher at a school who did something remarkable. The school was located in a coastal area, where the water was salty, and the land was barren, with no trees or greenery. What did the teacher do? He gave each student an empty Bisleri bottle and used oil cans, which he had cleaned. He instructed the children to collect the water their mothers used to wash dishes after meals and bring it to school in those bottles every day. He assigned each child a tree and told them the water they brought from home would be used to nurture their tree. When I visited the school 5-6 years later, the entire school was flourishing with greenery beyond what anyone could have imagined.

Student: This is dry waste. If we separate dry and wet waste like this, it helps in making compost.

Prime Minister: So, do you all follow this practice at home?

Prime Minister: When your mother goes to buy vegetables and leaves empty-handed, does she bring them back in a plastic bag? Do any of you argue with her, saying, "Mum, take a bag from home. Why do you bring plastic home? Why bring such waste into the house?" Do any of you remind her of this?

Student: (Yes, we encourage them to carry )Cloth bags, Sir.

Prime Minister: So you do tell them?

Student: Yes, Sir.

Prime Minister: Alright then.

Prime Minister: What is this? These are Gandhiji’s glasses, and do you think Gandhiji is watching whether you are maintaining cleanliness or not? You must remember, Gandhiji dedicated his entire life to cleanliness. He is always observing who keeps things clean and who does not. He once said that if he had to choose between freedom and cleanliness, he would choose cleanliness. This shows how much importance he placed on cleanliness, even above freedom. Now, tell me, should our cleanliness campaign continue to move forward?

Student: Yes sir, we should take it forward.

Prime Minister: So, do you think cleanliness should merely be a programme or should it become a habit?

Student: It should become a habit.

Prime Minister: Well done. Some people believe that this cleanliness drive is Modiji’s programme, but the truth is that cleanliness is not a one-day task, nor is it the responsibility of just one person or one family. It is a lifelong commitment—365 days a year, for as long as we live. What do we need for this? We need a mindset, a mantra. Imagine if every citizen in the country decided not to create litter. What would happen?

Student: Then cleanliness would be established.

Prime Minister: Exactly. So, what habit must you develop now? The habit of not littering—this is the first step. Understood?

Student: Yes, Sir.