"You cannot win polls on social media": PM Modi's dig at opposition in Viksit Bharat event

New Delhi [India], December 9: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday hit out at the opposition parties over not giving importance to public welfare, saying that they cannot win polls on social media but need to interact with people and win their hearts.

"You cannot win polls on social media; you need to go amid people. Before winning polls, you need to win people's hearts. You should not underestimate them. If some political parties had prioritized service to people instead of thinking about political gains, a majority of our country's population would not have been facing so many difficulties, deprivation, and problems today," Prime Minister Modi said while interacting with the beneficiaries of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra through video conferencing.

Hitting out at the opposition for announcing false promises before polls, the Prime Minister said, "I don't know why our opposition does not have confidence in our country. Some political parties don't understand that they cannot get anything from false promises."

PM Modi further said that he need not have given guarantees to people if the opposition had worked diligently.

"If they had worked diligently for decades, the guarantees which Modi is giving today would have been fulfilled 50 years ago," he said.

In a veiled dig at the welfare schemes announced by the UPA government when they were in power, PM Modi said, "Modi's guarantee implies that a guarantee that the guarantee itself will be fulfilled."

The Prime Minister said that when a beneficiary receives benefit from government schemes their confidence increases and they get a new strength to live their lives.

"Crores of families in villages across the country have benefited from some government scheme or the other. When one gets the benefit, one's confidence increases. They get a new strength to live their lives," PM Modi said.

"The notion of begging for getting benefits under government schemes that existed earlier is now gone. The government identified the beneficiaries and then took steps to extend the benefits to them," he said.

The Prime Minister said that he is happy to note that people in villages are welcoming the 'Guarantee Wali Gadi' vehicle with enthusiasm.

"I am glad to note that for welcoming the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, our Panchayats have formed the 'Swagat Samitis' in villages; all sections of the society including the elderly have joined the Samitis," PM Modi said.

"It is a big achievement that in such a short time, more than 1.25 crore people have reached out to Modi's guaranteed vehicle and welcomed it," he added.

The programme was joined virtually by thousands of VBSY beneficiaries from across the country. More than two thousand VBSY vans, thousands of Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) and Common Service Centres (CSCs) from across the country were connected during the programme.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with a beneficiary of PM Mudra Yojana, Mukesh who received Rs 4.5 lakh through a loan to open a shop. The Prime Minister congratulated him for transforming himself from a job-seeker to a job-maker. He also urged him to conduct most of his business through UPI payments.

A large number of Union Ministers, MPs, MLAs and local-level representatives also joined the programme.

Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is being undertaken across the country to attain saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner.