New Delhi: after completing a month in office, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday wrote to thank people for their support and affection. The wishes, he said inspired confidence in him and his Cabinet on the path of “taking India to greater heights.”
He wrote that he felt there were areas where there was scope for improvement, and added, “I assure that we are committed to taking India to greater heights in years to come.”
Modi wrote how it reminded him of the draconian days of the “Emergency”, and wrote, “This day is also another landmark day, 26th June was the day when the Emergency started, having been imposed an evening earlier: Emergency surely stands out as one of darkest periods in our history….It is a grim reminder of dangers associated with subverting freedom of speech, press, expression and silencing opposition.”
The initial apprehensions and butterflies in the stomach were dispelled by support of his officials. He wrote, “Due to people’s affection, collective experience of Ministerial colleagues & support from officials my confidence level rose tremendously.
Today our Government completes a month in office. The support and affection of the people has been overwhelming and this inspires us to work even harder. 67 years of previous governments is nothing compared to 1 month, but I do want to say that in the last month, our entire team has devoted every single moment for the welfare of the people.
Every decision we took has been guided solely by national interest. When we took over a month ago, I kept thinking that I am new to this place and some people believed that I would take at least a year or even two to learn the intricacies of the working of the Central Government.
Fortunately, a month later that thought does not exist any longer in my mind. My confidence and determination has increased tremendously and I credit a substantial part of this to the collective experience and wisdom of my ministerial colleagues and also to my experiences as a four time Chief Minister. The affection of the people and support from officials has also added to this confidence in large measure.
I feel there are areas where surely we need to improve. A big challenge I am facing in Delhi is to convey to a select group of people about our intentions and sincerity to bring a positive change in this country. These are people who are both within and outside the government system. There have been some instances in the last month with which our Government had nothing to do yet these controversies have persisted. I don’t blame anybody but I surely feel that we need to strengthen systems whereby the right things are communicated to the right people at the right time. Hopefully things will change then.
Every new Government has something that friends in the media like to call a ‘honeymoon period.’ Previous governments had the luxury of extending this ‘honeymoon period’ upto a hundred days and even beyond. Not unexpectedly I don’t have any such luxury. Forget hundred days, the series of allegations began in less than a hundred hours. But when one is working with the sole aim of serving the nation determinately, these things do not matter. That is why I keep working and that is most satisfying.
26th of June is an important date for me. It marks the completion of one month of our journey to fulfil the aspirations of the people. This day is also another landmark day, when in 1975 I witnessed an important phase that taught me the significance of a vibrant democracy. 26th June was the day when the Emergency started, having been imposed an evening earlier. As a youngster, I have several memories of those testing times.
Once again I salute the people of India for their strong support and good wishes as we complete a month in office. I assure you that we are committed to taking India to greater heights in the years to come.
Bureau Report
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