The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has crossed the majority mark in the first five phases of the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi told The Economic Times in an interview, adding that he had “clear signals from the people on the ground” that the momentum was only “getting stronger” with each passing phase.
“In contrast, the atmosphere on the Opposition side is very grim and hopeless. It shows that we are well on track to achieve a historic victory in the ongoing elections. People also realise this and hence they won’t waste their vote on Congress and its allies which have already lost the elections. Hence in the remaining two phases, we will see even greater support for NDA,” he told ET.
When asked on recent periods of volatility in the market, which were attributed in some quarters to uncertainty over the poll results, Modi said: “I can say with confidence that on June 4, as the BJP hits record numbers, the stock market will also hit new record highs.”
Further, the Prime Minister underlined that the financial markets have always reposed confidence in his initiatives, which in turn has brought more domestic investors to the market, leading to “financialisation of savings” over the past decade.
“The trust the stock market places in us is evident in its remarkable performance over the past decade. When we took office, the Sensex was around 25,000 points. Today, it stands at around 75,000 points, reflecting a historic rise.”
When asked on why an election, which started with the ‘Viksit Bharat’ campaign, turned communal and polarising, Modi said he was only “exposing the Congress manifesto,” emphasising that in 2024, the “main issue is Viksit Bharat”.
He then went on to identify the 13 parameters, which according to him, would be markers of a developed India.
On the question of employment and reforms, Modi said he would not be dependent on just high growth to deliver results but look at taking proactive steps to create jobs for the future. “While we understand that high growth is important for creating enough opportunities, we are not satisfied with just that. We are actively bringing in reforms. We are looking towards the future and creating future jobs.”
