Thanking the people of Bihar for the victory of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the just-concluded Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that it was the victory of “Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas”.
“If you ask me today about the election results of Bihar, then my answer is clear like the people’s mandate: The mantra of ‘Sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ has won. The development has won in Bihar. Truth and faith have won in Bihar,” PM Modi said.
Amid cheering crowds at BJP headquarters in New Delhi, the Prime Minister thanked the people for reposing faith in BJP and NDA. Ending speculations on the new Bihar government, he said, “Under the leadership of Nitish Kumar the NDA workers will fulfil poll promises and oath given to people for development.”
PM Modi said that the BJP’s victory is the success of Bihar’s people. “Bihar’s youth, mothers, sisters, and daughters have won! Bihar’s poor has won, the farmer has won! It is a victory of the aspirations in Bihar. It is a victory of Bihar’s pride,” he said, adding: “Despite 15 years of rule the people have given mandate to the NDA for development of the state, those who thought they can win with other issues have been proven wrong.”
He called Bihar a special state, terming it to be the land of democracy. “Bihar is the most special state. I will tell my brothers and sisters in Bihar, you have once again proved why Bihar is called the land of democracy. You have proved once again that Biharis are aware.”
Attacking the Congress, PM Modi said that the grand old party is in grip of a family but now the people know of it. “Silent voters have become asset to the party and woman is the silent voter which is giving BJP chance after chance,” he said emphasising the role of women in the just concluded Bihar polls.
Thanking BJP chief J.P. Nadda for the victory, the Prime Minister said the implications of the results are far-reaching. “It wasn’t easy having elections. This expands on the results of the Lok Sabha elections. These elections are significant. We have won in the east in Manipur, in the Kutch desert. If you dedicate yourself to the country, try to do something new, you will get the results too. People see the hard work you put in, your intentions. So during elections, people suffer hardships to vote for you,” he said.
Taking a journey down memory lane, PM Modi said there was a time when the BJP had only two seats. “And we started from two rooms. But today we are everywhere. How did this happen? The answer lies in the verdict of yesterday. People are relying on our development plank. Development will be our only poll issue,” PM Modi said.
“Good railways, better airports, bridges, internet connectivity, some will say, are not important in elections. People are telling political parties that this is not the case. This is going to be the basis of development. People who did not understand this…have lost their deposits,” PM Modi said.
In his victory speech, the Prime Minister attributed BJP’s electoral success to BJP’s governance. “When people think of governance, they think of BJP,” he said.
In his speech, PM Modi also made an indirect reference to West Bengal, where elections will be held next
year. Without naming the state and its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the PM warned that “the killing of BJP workers is not acceptable in a democracy” and those responsible would be punished by the people.
“But today, those unable to challenge us, some of those people have adopted the path of murder of our workers. In some parts of the country they think that by killing BJP workers they will fulfil their ambitions. I do not think I need to warn them, because in a democracy, the people speak,” PM Modi said.
“Elections come and go, there are victories and defeats—today someone will sit in power tomorrow someone else, but this game of murder cannot be accepted in a democracy. By playing with death you cannot get a mandate—see the writing on the wall,” he said.
WITH AGENCY INPUTS