War clouds hovering over world, strong BJP govt needed to protect country: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said war clouds were hovering over the world and under these circumstances a strong BJPled government with an absolute majority was needed to protect the countrys interests and tackle any eventualityMocking Pakistan without naming it he said a neighbouring country that exported terrorism was now struggling for a basic necessity like breadYou all are seeing that war clouds are hovering over the world When there is an atmosphere of war in the world incidents are taking place At this moment Bharat badly needs a strong government that will work on a war footing Do you agree with me he asked the gathering while addressing an election rally at Damoh in Madhya PradeshHis comments came in the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip Irans missile and drone attack on Israel and rising tension in West AsiaBharat needs a government that is capable of protecting it in any situation And this work can happen only when there is a BJP government in place with an absolute majority he emphasised on a day when the the 2024 Lok Sabha polls being held in seven phases kicked off with voting in more than 100 seatsHow a stable and strong government works was clearly evident during the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic he pointed outThe PM underscored that crores of people were vaccinated against COVID19 for free during the pandemic and the poor were supplied free rationToday the country has a government that neither comes under pressure nor bows before anyone asserted the BJPs star campaignerOur principle is nation first To ensure that India gets cheap oil we took a decision in the countrys interest he saidThe PM took a dig at neighbouring Pakistan which is facing rising inflation and a host of other economic challenges without taking its nameThe condition of many countries in the world is worrisome Many countries are getting bankrupt One of our neighbours that was a supplier of terror aatank is now struggling for flour aata said ModiThe BJP stalwart maintained the ongoing Lok Sabha election is about making India a big global power in the next five years and pitched for a strong government led by the saffron party at the CentreIn the last few years we have seen how a stable government works We gave crores of Indians free food and coronavirus vaccines he saidModi accused the Congress of weakening the defence sector for decades when it was in powerThey did not want Frenchmade Rafale fighter jets to come to India They wanted to see that the Indian Air Force remains in trouble They employed all their might to see that our Air Force was not empowered he alleged hitting out at the main opposition partyHe emphasised that under the BJPled government defence forces were becoming selfreliantThey saw their own interest in arms purchases Had the Congress government continued the Indiamade Tejas fighter plane would not have taken to the skies It is the BJP government that was making our forces selfreliant Modi addedHe pointed out that India which once bought most of its arms from overseas was now exporting hightech weapons to other countries and referred to providing BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the PhilippinesBharat is acquiring the image of an arms exporter This year alone Bharat has sold arms worth Rs 21000 crore to other countries Right now when I am delivering my speech at Damoh BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles are being sent to the Philippines he notedSlamming the opposition Modi said they termed Ram Lallas puja as pakhand hypocrisy on the occasion of Ram Navami when sunbeams were directed on the forehead of the Hindu deitys idol at the temple in Ayodhya using an elaborate mechanism involving mirrors and lensesModi praised Iqbal Ansari a former litigant in the RamjanmabhoomiBabri Masjid case for accepting the invitation to attend the January 22 consecration ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya and slammed the opposition for boycotting the eventThe BJP in its manifesto has promised that every individual above 70 years of age will be brought within the ambit of the Centres Ayushman Bharat Yojana ensuring free treatment to them up to Rs 5 lakh Modi maintainedThe PM asserted his government was committed to the welfare of the poor and pointed out that the Centre has extended the free ration scheme for five more years for nearly 80 crore beneficiariesModis guarantee means guarantee to fulfil guarantees he told the gatheringThe BJP has fielded Rahul Lodhi from the Damoh Lok Sabha seat and state party president Vishnu Dutt Sharma from the Khajuraho constituency Both these seats along with five others will vote in the second phase of elections on April 26This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion 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