17 May,2019 04:20 PM IST | | mid-day online desk
Narendra Modi
"Ab ki baar, 300 paar" (This time, it will be 300 plus), thundered Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally on Friday.
Asserting that the ongoing Lok Sabha battle was to decide the future of not a political party but the country, he said he expected the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to win more than 300 seats.
"This election is unprecedented because it is being fought not for a party but for the country. The seven phases of polling are being called 'exhausting', but the excitement of the tribals to vote has given it a new colour," Modi said.
Taking a dig at political pundits, he said: "Experts sitting in Delhi are calling the election long, exhaustive and boring. These tired people should spend some time among the tribals. They would not just get rejuvenated but also gain a new understanding of the mind of the country.
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"The entire country from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Kutch to Kamrup is saying, 'Once more Modi sarkar'. And over the past three or four days, I've been repeatedly hearing, 'Ab ki Baar 300 paar'."
"My government's commitment towards ending terrorism and Naxalism are getting public support. People are happy that India now enters enemy territory to take on terrorists."
Modi began his speech by comparing his first election rally for the Lok Sabha polls in Meerut with the concluding public meeting.
"I started my poll campaign from Meerut and today I am ending it from. Both these cities are united with the inspiration of nationalism and fight of independence from the British. Meerut is known for the sacrifice of Mangal Pandey who fought against British in 1857 and in Khargone, Bhima Nayak began Adivasi revolution was martyred for the cause. I pay tributes to Bhima Nayak," he said.
He explained that the 2019 Lok Sabha polls are different from previous polls as this time people are not voting for a particular political party, but for the country. "I am satisfied that people are standing together for our brave soldiers and there is unanimity in people against terrorism," said Modi.
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Edited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies