India on course to be $5-tn economy: Modi

Pune/Satara/Aurangabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that his government was on course to make India a five-trillion-dollar economy in the next five years despite apprehensions being expressed by experts and the opposition.

“Unlike them, it is not just a figure for us. It is our resolve.

We are aware of the reality but we have the confidence,” Modi said at a huge public rally held at the S P College grounds in Pune.

Modi, who had articulated this aspiration during this year’s Independence Day speech, said there were many who were raising doubts about the nation's capability to achieve the goal, but he was sure it could be done.

“For the initial 60 years, we were just a one-trillion-dollar economy. During the tenure of our government, India has become a three-trillion-dollar economy. I am banking on this track record and the support of the younger generation who have great capabilities. Our foreign policies are being well appreciated. The entire world is looking at us as a major industrial destination,” Modi said, adding that the bigger the economy, the easier it was to eradicate poverty and fulfil the aspirations of the youth.

The Prime Minister said India’s economy is full of opportunities for the youth and the recent policy decisions, including tax reforms and allowing foreign direct investment, will further boost its growth. The government is also planning to pump in over Rs 100 lakh crore in infrastructure projects, he said.

“The nature of employment is changing. The focus should be on skill development. Skill upgradation is the key,” he said.

Modi tried to strike a chord with the crowd in Pune by opening his speech with remarks in Marathi, “Kasa kai Punekar?” (How are you, Punekars?) and thanked them for the overwhelming mandate they had extended to the BJP during the last two Lok Sabha polls and the 2014 assembly polls.

At all three public meetings — Pune, Satara and Parli — held in Maharashtra on Thursday, the PM questioned the opposition party leaders for protesting against the abrogation of Article 370. Speaking at Parli in Beed district, he took exception to the statement of the opposition that the decision on Article 370 had done away with democracy. Stating that the opposition leaders had said, “Democracy ko barbad kiya… Bharat mein loktantra hi khatam ho gaya” (democracy has been destroyed… democracy has ended in India), Modi sought to know from the audience if they felt the same way. The audience replied in the negative.

Modi said everything was fine in Kashmir and arrangements would be made for people wanting to visit there. He said the abrogation of Article 370 would usher in the integration of J&K with the rest of the country, which would bring in “investments, industry and innovations” in the region and “limit the scope of terrorism”.

Though he did not mention Pawar in his speech in Pune, he took a dig at the NCP supremo during the Satara rally when he said, “Pawar avoided the Satara byelection as he knew which way the wind is blowing.”

Modi referred to the long tradition of several villages in Satara district to have at least one member of the family in the army. “Our opponents have always criticised decisions taken by us in the national interest and the people of Satara are pained and hurt about this. They (opponents) do not understand that it angers the people when they question the contributions of Veer Savarkar,” he said.

“What is the use of making statements against the sentiments of the nation? You have got an opportunity to punish these people for taking a stand against the national sentiment. Punish them,” he said, appealing to the people to vote for the continuation of the government in the state, which he said had done commendable work to address water-related issues in drought-prone areas.