Amidst lot of excitement and hope in the air, the newly elected Members of Parliament belonging to BJP arrived at Parliament’s Central Hall on May 20. Shri Narendra Modi reached the entry point of Parliament at 11:50 am. Everyone was caught in pleasant surprise when he did shasthang pranam and prostrated at the entrance in reverence to the Parliament ‘temple of democracy’. As he rose up, he folded his hands and knelt in prayer for a few seconds. The whole atmosphere had a special feel to it and the giant statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the background seemed to be approvingly watching and blessing Shri Modi as he stood up. The crowd of people gathered there felt they were being witness to a new, golden chapter of history gently unfolding in front of their eyes.
The speech of Shri Modi after his formal election as Leader of BJP Parliamentary Party thrilled the audience. He threw light on the kind of government that he would lead. His government would be one that ‘thinks, works, and lives for the poor and is dedicated to the villages, youth and women of India’. He went on to say “today you have given me the responsibility of leading 125 crore people of this country. In a democracy, it is a God given duty to serve the people.” Shri Modi became emotional when he referred to Advaniji’s speech where Advaniji had mentioned that Narendrabhai had done him a kripa. He said “I would urge Advaniji not to use that word. Can a son ever do his mother kripa? Just as India is my mother, the BJP is also my mother. A son can never do kripa to his mother, but can only dedicatedly serve his mother. The party had done me kripa by providing me an opportunity to serve it.” He had to pause in between as he fought back tears. The whole Central Hall paused and watched in silence. Every person in the audience became emotional, and many were seen wiping tears. It was one of those rare moments in the history of the Central Hall of Parliament.
Shri Modi said: “This great responsibility is given to me even though I come from a poor family. This is the power of our Constitution and the result of our strong democratic set-up. On September 13, 2013, under the leadership of Shri Rajnath Singh, the BJP took the decision of declaring me as the Prime Ministerial candidate of BJP. From the September 15 itself I started my work.
“This parishram yajna that started on the September 15, 2013 was completed on May 10, 2014. And like a discipline soldier I reported to my president that from September 13 to May 10, I have tried to fulfill my responsibility to the best of my ability.
“It is the power of our Constitution that a poor person belonging to a poor and deprived family is standing here today Antodaya. The government is one which thinks about the poor, listen to the poor and lives for the poor. Therefore the new government is dedicated to the poor, millions of youths and mothers and daughters who are striving for their respect and honour. This government is for village farmers, Dalits and the oppressed; for their aspirations and this is our responsibility. I have seen people who had one piece of clothing on their body but had the BJP’s flag on their shoulder shining and flying.
This section is looking at us with hope and aspirations, and therefore, our dream is to fulfill their dreams. This absolute majority given to BJP is a vote of hope and trust. People have voted for hope and faith. An era of responsibility has begun. In 2019, I will meet the MPs again with a report card. My government is not for myself but for the country. The coming years 2015 and 2016 are important for us. They are the centenary years of Pt. Deendayal Upadhaya. It is the period for Antodaya.
We have to bring happiness in the life of poor, the Dalits, the Vanchits, the oppressed and the villagers. We have to take up the responsibility. This is an excellent opportunity for us to prove our worth. The organisation is supreme for us. I will strive at my best to fulfill my responsibility given to me.
-V Shanmuganathan
