Sluggish Growth Under Congress Rule Cunningly Given Hindu Tag: PM Modi

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday attacked the Congress, saying the sluggish economic growth during their rule was cunningly dubbed "Hindu Growth Rate" when it should have been called "Congress Growth Rate" for a complete absence of governance.

Modi also said a big success of the 12 years of the NDA rule since 2014 was that it freed the country from the Congress' "vicious trap" and asserted that the people of the country had understood the importance of political stability and decisive governance.

The sluggish growth under the Congress rule was labelled as the "Hindu Growth Rate", implying that while the style, responsibility and failure were all the Congress', the stigma was pinned on the country's vast Hindu population, Modi said as he addressed an NDA conclave here after becoming India's longest continuously serving elected prime minister.

In his 37-minute speech largely focused on his government's achievements in the last 12 years and his vision for a 'Viksit Bharat', Modi said the dream of a 'Viksit Bharat' did not belong to a person or any party, but had become the resolve of every person in the country.

Attacking the Congress, he said the party had plunged the country into an abyss of "helplessness, destitution, and an inferiority complex" during its rule.

"The nation was conditioned to believe that development in India inevitably moves at a slow pace and rapid growth was simply not possible here. With great cunningness, this sluggish growth was labelled the 'Hindu Growth Rate', implying that while the style, responsibility and failure were all the Congress', the stigma was pinned on the country's vast Hindu population," Modi said.

"It should have been named 'Congress Growth Rate'. This 'Congress Growth Rate' was characterised by a complete absence of governance, policy, intent and decisiveness," the prime minister said.

It was under Atal Bihari Vajpayee's leadership that the NDA government first came to power and only then did the country get a glimpse of what accelerated development looked like, Modi said.

"Unfortunately, in 2004, the country was once again caught in a cycle of instability," he said, referring to the Congress-led UPA rule from 2004-2014.

He said the Congress dragged the country into multi-crore rupee scams.

"The nation's destiny changed again when the NDA government was formed in 2014. The country witnessed the pace of development when intent, policy and decision-making align and work in unison," Modi said.

The nation saw tasks that used to take decades being accomplished in mere months, he said.

"From 74 airports in 2014 to over 160 airports by 2026; from 1,000 kilometres of expressways in 2014 to 6,700 kilometres by 2026; from metro services in just five cities in 2014 to over 20 cities by 2026; and from Rs 700 crore in defence exports in 2014 to Rs 23,000 crore by 2026, the country has traversed a long journey," Modi said.

"In 2014, there were only 25 crore internet users in the country; today, over 100 crore users are connected to the internet. In 2014, digital payments were negligible; today, India ranks number one in digital transactions," he said.

"For me, people represent God," the PM said at the NDA conclave.

"People of the country have understood the importance of political stability at the national level. It is their maturity that they gave me an opportunity to serve them for such a long time," Modi said.

Before 2014, several decades were full of instability and upheaval, but people are now witnessing the work of a stable government and are admiring its decisiveness, he added.

"When the NDA won in 2014, I had said today there is a dawn of a new hope for the common person. After the Congress' betrayal, people showed confidence in us. As an NDA family, we have strengthened the confidence that people have in us," Modi said.

Congratulatory messages from world leaders, a standing ovation at a meeting of the Union Cabinet and puja-aarti by BJP leaders across the country marked Modi reaching the milestone of becoming the longest continuous serving elected prime minister on Wednesday.

Modi crossed the record of Jawaharlal Nehru's 4,398 days in power as an elected prime minister following the 1952 general elections.

Nehru's stint from 1947 to 1952 was as head of an interim government as elections were not held till 1952.