Coming out hard against the skeptics of his Government's bid to make India a $5-trillion economy in the next five years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed such people as 'professional pessimists' even as he asserted that the "new India" is on the threshold of sprinting forward.
Earlier, Modi launched the membership drive of the ruling BJP from his Lok Sabha constituency on the occasion of the 118th birth anniversary of party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee and unveiled a statue of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at the airport.
"I am fully confident that as a nation, with our collective efforts, in the next five years we will definitely reach the destination of $ 5-trillion economy. But, some people are questioning the need for this (goal) and asking why all these are being done. These are people we can call 'peshewar nirashawadi' (professional pessimists). These professional pessimists are totally different from common people. If you approach a common man with a problem, he will offer you a solution. But if you go to these people with a solution, they will convert it into a problem," he said.
Though he was addressing the BJP workers at Pandit Deen Dayal Hastkala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre) here on his maiden visit to his parliamentary constituency since he has assumed the charge of office as PM for second time, his major focus was on his government's way forward.
"There is a saying in English 'size of the cake matters', meaning the bigger the cake, bigger the slice the people will get, he said, criticising those who had expressed doubts. According to him, this 'Kashi Ka Beta' thinks differently and positively. Inspiring the party workers further to think big, he also cited a Gujarati popular saying which means when well is filled the water will also reach the small ponds and added " history tells us that many countries had seen such time when their per capita income had recorded big jumps helping them move in the list of developed nations from the developing ones."
Modi also said, "We've to focus on building a Swachha, Swasth and Sunder Bharat (a clean, healthy, beautiful India) to make the $5 trillion journey easier. "The contribution of every citizen to sanitation over the years has reinforced our efforts to build a healthy India," he maintained, highlighting the Ayushman Bharat Scheme.
Prior to his hour-long address, Modi launched nation-wide party membership campaign by making five persons from different sections as members of the party on the occasion of 118th birth anniversary of Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. Earlier, after landing at Babatpur Airport, he unveiled the statue of ex-PM Lal Bahadur Shastri in airport premises which was set up there by Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Singrauli and made by famous sculptor Padam Bhushan Ram V. Sutar under whose guidance world's tallest 'Statue of Unity' was installed in Gujarat recently.
Then the PM reached a school premises on Panchkosi Margi near Harahuwa to launch plantation drive by planning a tree amidst the chanting of mantras. Under the plan, 22 lakh trees would be planted on Panchkosi Marg in the coming months. On the occasion, five children who have been named as 'Bal Vriksha Mitras' also planted saplings. During his visit, chief minister Yogi Adityanath, acting BJP president JP Nadda, Union Minister and State BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and many other senior leaders were present.
