Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged Indians to give greater priority to Indian-made products and adopt a more self-reliant approach as he congratulated the country on recording 7.8 per cent economic growth.
In a selfie-style video message, Modi said India was moving ahead rapidly despite global uncertainty, wars, economic challenges and disruptions in supply chains. He appealed to citizens to avoid unnecessary foreign travel, overseas weddings and non-essential gold purchases.
“Foreign trips, if you are going for leisure, you should not go. If you are getting married abroad, you should not do so. And if it is not necessary, you should not buy gold either,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister stressed the importance of the swadeshi approach and said greater reliance on Indian products would strengthen the country's self-reliance. He expressed confidence that India's young generation would inherit a developed nation when the country completes 100 years of independence.
Modi also said the latest GDP figures demonstrated India's ability to overcome major challenges. India recorded 7.8 per cent economic growth, which the Prime Minister described as a significant achievement despite the difficult global environment.
During his message, Modi also appeared to take a swipe at his political critics. Referring to what he described as an atmosphere of despair within the country, he alleged that some people were spreading “lies” despite India's rapid progress.
“India is progressing rapidly,” Modi said, adding that the country had crossed several challenges to achieve 7.8 per cent growth. He called for efforts to maintain the momentum.
The phrase “jhooth ki goonj” used by Modi appeared to be a reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's “Chhatron Ki Goonj” campaign, which has focused on issues such as unemployment, alleged paper leaks and concerns surrounding the education system.
Modi said the dreams of India's young people would be fulfilled through the hard work being done today. He also appealed to citizens to contribute to the country's development.
“Our policy is right, our intention is clear,” he said, highlighting the collective strength of India's 140 crore citizens.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while he was in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to attend the 26th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit. The summit is being hosted by Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Japarov and brings together leaders from the SCO member countries, including India, China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran.
Modi is expected to address the summit, where regional security, cooperation and other international issues are likely to feature prominently.
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