Ahmedabad, Sep 19: Ending his three-day fast here, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi gave a clarion call to Indians to dream big to become a global power and emulate the "Gujarat development model". Modi avoided any oblique mention of his desire of becoming a prime ministerial candidate.
Soon after religious priests of different faiths joined hands in offering him a glass of lemon juice, Modi addressed the huge gathering to say that though his fast may have ended, his "sadbhavna mission" would continue.
Modi announced he would be going to each of the districts of Gujarat to meet people and undertake fast for a day in each district.
This announcement is being considered as part of the beginning of Modi's campaign to seek a record third term as chief minister with the state going to assembly polls next year.
Modi mentioned the agitation by Anna Hazare and said popular support for this agitation was only because the people of India are worried about poor governance and wanted a channel to fuel their anger.
"The common man of the country finds himself worried over whatever is happening. He is feeling alienated. To express his grievance, the common man is seeking whatever medium he finds. I am an avid supporter of people's aspirations (jan man ka pujaari hoon). I have spent my life among the people. I did not leave my family in order to acquire seat of power (sinhaasan). I left my home at a young age, to serve my motherland", said an emotional Modi.
"We should stop looking everything with political lens. Rashtra-neeti (statesmanship) is above politics. The inspiration for my fast was not politics, but rashtra-neeti", said Modi.
On his dream of making India a powerful nation, Modi said, "all "thinking" people throughout the world have one grievance about India - and that is we lack the dream to become big. Why is it that while China, Europe, and USA yearn to become big, we are constricting ourselves in our aim? If we don't have a dream, we don't have a will."
'In Gujarat, when I came to power, I could have run the government like any other state government. Adding more roads and more hospitals, but that was not enough. I decided to take the entire 6 crore Gujaratis with me in my march towards progress. And that's exactly what I did', said Modi.
'Some years ago, Modi revealed, the Justice Sachar Committee had come to Gujarat and asked me what I have done for the minorities. I told the committee, to write down in the minutes that I have done nothing for the minorities, and also add, that I have done nothing for the majority too. My government works for all the six crore Gujaratis, irrespective of religion and caste', said Modi.
"We should get rid of vote-bank politics. All the governments think of working for specific votebanks for the next five years, the moment they come to power. In the last 60 years of democracy, such votebank politics has destroyed our zeal for development, and thus keeping the common man away from the government', said Modi.
'Gujarat managed to come out of this rut. I am a faqir(mendicant) type man. I don't bother whether I remain in power or not. So the first thing I did was to get out of the rut of votebank politics', said the chief minister.
Modi called on the need for involving youth power in taking the nation to great heights.
"You will be surprised to know that every year when I go to the Planning Commission, they ask me what new initiative I have taken for people's partnership in development", said Modi.
"The common man, the poor man wants peace - not the peace of the majority only", said Modi. "I as a chief minister go to common people's houses and ask the families to send their girl child to school. I want to make each and every citizen in our 18,000 villages of Gujarat as gamechangers".
'India too can benefit from the Gujarat development model, said Modi. I don't waste my time on negative things. Together, we can transform the present atmosphere of pessimism in our country', said Modi without even remotely mentioning his ambition of becoming a primeministerial candidate.
Earlier, BJP leader Sushma Swaraj praised Modi and said that " it was PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, with whom we have serious ideological differences, who told the National Integration council meeting recently that it was Modi was cleared a Kashmiri industrialist's project within half an hour of meeting him in Ahmedabad. "
