India
In open letter to bureaucracy on eve of counting of votes, Cong Chief Kharge urges them to serve the nation without fear, favour, ill-will.
Updated : Jun 03, 2024, 11:46 PM IST
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reflected on India's progress and potential while urging for unity and dedication towards a developed India by 2047. In a note penned on Saturday, while on his flight back to Delhi after a 45-hour meditation retreat in Kanniyakumari, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the people of the nation to dedicate the next 25 years solely for the country to create a strong foundation for the coming generations and the coming centuries, taking Bharat to new heights.
"After a three-day spiritual journey in Kanniyakumari, I have just boarded the plane for Delhi," PM Modi began his note penned on June 1 between 4:15 PM and 7 PM during his return flight from Kanyakumari to Delhi.
"We must see Bharat's development in a global context, and for this, it is essential that we understand Bharat's internal capabilities. We must acknowledge Bharat's strengths, nurture them, and utilize them for the benefit of the world. In today's global scenario, Bharat's strength as a youthful nation is an opportunity from which we must not look back," he said.
Speaking about his thoughts during his three-day meditation, the PM wrote, "Amidst this detachment, amidst the peace and silence, my mind was constantly thinking about the bright future of Bharat, the goals of Bharat."
Citing Swami Vivekananda's message that, 'Every nation has a message to deliver, a mission to fulfil, a destiny to reach.' the Prime Minister wrote "For thousands of years, Bharat has been moving forward with this sense of meaningful purpose. Bharat has been a cradle of ideas for thousands of years."
"We have never considered what we have acquired as our personal wealth or measured it purely by economic or material parameters. Therefore, 'Idam-na-mama' (this is not mine) has become an inherent and natural part of the character of Bharat," he wrote.
Today, Bharat's governance model has become an example for many countries around the world.
"The development trajectory of Bharat fills us with pride and glory, but at the same time, it also reminds the 140 crore citizens of their responsibilities. Now, without wasting a single moment, we must step forward towards greater duties and larger goals. We need to dream new dreams, convert them into reality and begin living those dreams," the Prime Minister wrote.
In his article, the Prime Minister stated that as the voting for the seventh and final phase is concluding, his mind is filled with so many experiences and emotions, adding that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls are the first in the Amrit Kaal.
"My fellow Indians, the biggest festival of democracy, the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, are concluding today in our nation, the Mother of Democracy. After a three-day spiritual journey in Kanniyakumari, I have just boarded the plane for Delhi. Throughout the day, Kashi and numerous other seats have been in the midst of voting," he wrote in his article.
"My mind is filled with so many experiences and emotions... I feel a boundless flow of energy within myself. The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are the first in the Amrit Kaal. I began my campaign a few months ago from Meerut, the land of the First War of Independence of 1857. Since then, I have traversed across the length and breadth of our great nation. The final rally of these elections took me to Hoshiarpur in Punjab, the land of the great Gurus and a land associated with Sant Ravidas Ji. After that, I came to Kanniyakumari, at the feet of Maa Bharti," PM Modi added.
The Prime Minister said that as he entered into the meditation state, all the heated political debates, counterattacks and words of accusations vanished into a void. He said that he felt a sense of detachment from the external world.
"It is natural that the fervour of the elections was echoing in my heart and mind. The multitude of faces seen in rallies and road shows came in front of my eyes. The blessings from our Nari Shakti...the trust, the affection, all of this was a very humbling experience. My eyes were getting moist... I entered into a 'sadhana' (meditative state). And then, the heated political debates, the attacks and counter-attacks, the voices and words of accusations that are so characteristic of an election...they all vanished into a void. A sense of detachment came to grow within me...my mind became completely detached from the external world," PM Modi wrote.
"Meditation becomes challenging amidst such huge responsibilities, but the land of Kanniyakumari and the inspiration of Swami Vivekananda made it effortless. As a candidate myself, I left my campaign in the hands of my beloved people of Kashi and came here," he added.
-ANI
Here are the live updates:
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said Monday her party is very hopeful that the results of the Lok Sabha election will be totally opposite to what has been shown in the exit polls. "We have to wait, just wait and see," Gandhi told PTI when asked about her expectations from the results scheduled to be announced on Tuesday.
"We are very hopeful that our results are completely opposite to what the exit polls are showing," she added.
Most exit polls have predicted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will retain power for a third straight term, with the BJP-led NDA expected to win a big majority in the Lok Sabha polls.
While some exit polls have given the NDA more than 400 seats, most have predicted that it will win over 350, which is way above the majority mark of 272 seats needed to form the government.
The Congress and other INDIA bloc parties have trashed the exit polls, claiming that these surveys were a work of "fantasy" and asserting that the opposition alliance will form the next government.
"This is not called an exit poll but its name is 'Modi media poll'. This is Modi ji's poll, it is his fantasy poll," former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday.
Congress leaders have said that the INDIA bloc will win 295 seats and form the government.
-PTI
After taking part in the INDIA bloc meeting, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana Soren asked everyone to wait till June 4, when everything will be cleared.
"When you have waited so long, wait for 4th June. You will get to know everything on the 4th of June," Kalpana said.
INDIA bloc held a meeting on June 2 to discuss preparations for the counting day on June 4.
Bhubaneswar: On Exit Poll, Manmohan Samal, Odisha BJP State president says, "The credit goes to PM Modi...91-93% people are attached to him...the public is convinced and they fought the elections on the behalf of BJP...The public of Odisha want to change and they will dethrone the BJD government..."
#WATCH | Bhubaneswar: On Exit Poll, Manmohan Samal, Odisha BJP State president says, "The credit goes to PM Modi...91-93% people are attached to him...the public is convinced and they fought the elections on the behalf of BJP...The public of Odisha want to change and they will… pic.twitter.com/0GHbpnlYE3
— ANI (@ANI) June 3, 2024