Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 3 thanked the electorate for the BJP’s “hat trick” of victories in the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, noting that some were saying that “today’s hat trick is a guarantee for a hat trick in 2024”. The BJP will seek a third straight term in power in next year’s Lok Sabha election.
He was addressing BJP workers at a ceremony held at the party’s national headquarters in New Delhi to celebrate the party’s wins in the three northern States, and its increased vote share in Telangana, where it won eight seats.
‘Nari Shakti is our shield’
The PM’s reference to the Lok Sabha poll was significant in that he also went on to delineate the contours of the BJP’s pillars of support for the future: Nari Shakti (women’s power), the youth, and marginalised communities. He especially stressed the fact that women voters had blessed the BJP, and told party workers that women were now convinced that it was only the BJP which could guarantee their dignity, honour, and security and so they had protected the party in turn.
“When Nari Shakti becomes your shield, no adversary can hurt you,” he said, alluding to the BJP’s massive win in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan on the back of a higher turnout among women voters. “Nari Shakti’s upliftment is a big part of our development plank,” he added.
Slamming the Opposition for trying to divide society, Mr. Modi reiterated his earlier statement that, for him, there are just four castes in the country: women, youth, the poor, and farmers. He had made those remarks in reference to the Congress campaign for a caste-based census and higher representation for other backward classes (OBCs), which did not get any traction from voters going by the results of the polls declared on Sunday.
‘No tolerance for corruption’
Declaring that India’s youth want development, the PM said that they had squarely rejected governments led by parties that could not stem paper leaks and recruitment scams. He roundly slammed the Opposition, stating that “today’s mandate has also proved that there is zero tolerance for corruption, appeasement, and dynasty politics.”
Taking on the Opposition’s claim that the BJP-led Union government was misusing agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate to intimidate its political rivals, Mr. Modi said that the country “had given a clear message to those who do not feel the slightest shame in standing with the corrupt”.
“Those people who are working day and night to defame the investigating agencies which have come down hard on corruption should understand that this election is also a public support for the fight against corruption,” he said.
He also requested BJP workers to go to the aid of State governments on the east coast, which is in the path of Cyclone Michaung.
