Tirupati: The Prime Minister reached Tirupati from Colombo on Sunday evening and addressed a ‘Vijayotsava Sabha’ of BJP workers in the vicinity of Tirupati Airport.
Mr Modi began his speech in Telugu. He prayed to Lord Venkateswara, rendered a sloka in Telugu and said, “Balaji Padala Sakshiga (in the presence of the holy feet of Lord Venkateswara)”, hinting at Telugu Desam chief N. Chandrababu Naidu, who used to repeat the word while accusing Mr Modi of not according special status to AP.
Maintaining that he was blessed to visit the temple city several times in the past and today after emerging victorious at the Centre for the second consecutive term, Mr Modi said that he visited the sacred city to place his head at the lotus feet of Lord Venkateswara, to seek the Lord’s divine blessings for the well being of the nation. “I’m here to pray to Lord Venkateswara for the prosperity of the Nation and to bless the people of India,” he said.
Advising the BJP workers to dedicate themselves to the nation, Mr Modi stressed the importance of winning the hearts of the public by extending their services to them and underlined that it was more important for party workers to rededicate their lives to the public after the elections are over, as it will eventually lead the party to be the winning side forever.
Thanking the people of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu for their support for democracy and for bringing the rightful party to form a formidable government, the Prime Minister said that the people of Telugu and Tamil states have preserved the values of democracy in the recently concluded 2019 polls.
“A capable state government led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has assumed office in the state. And I congratulate him on his stunning victory in the elections. I assure the people of AP that the Central government will extend all its support to the state and commit itself to help the state for its comprehensive development.”
Praising Andhra Pradesh as a great land with infinite possibilities of growth and a state that was undergoing rapid progress on all fronts, Mr Modi asserted, “Now, in New Delhi, there is a capable government too and we believe that to build a strong nation it is indeed needed to take forward the development of all states in one line with our great mantra — Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas.”
Referring to the next two great occasions of the country to be celebrated — the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi in October 2019 and the 75th anniversary of the nation’s Independence in 2022 — the Prime Minister gave a call to the people to take the opportunity of these occasions to rededicate themselves to building a strong nation.
Taking a dig at Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Mr Modi said that while some people were yet to come out of the election hangover, “for us it is over and now our focus is entirely on the development and people’s welfare”.
