"World's consensus is clear, this is India's moment": PM Modi

New Delhi [India], December 29 : Emphasising India's transition from a country that sought platforms to one that creates platforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the world's consensus is clear that this is India's moment at the present.
In an interview with India Today, the PM, while describing how the country, from being a country that used to seek a voice on various platforms, has become a nation that creates new global platforms, said that the presence of India and its contributions are now sought after in global forums.
"The latent potential of our nation has been unleashed and India's presence and contributions are now highly sought after in global forums. The world's consensus today is clear: this is India's moment," the PM said.
Speaking about the success of India's G20 Presidency, the Prime Minister said that India was able to bring focus to human-centric development.
"We were able to bring focus on human-centric development to the global agenda. We got the developed and developing world to forge consensus. We revitalised multilateralism," the PM said.
Further, commenting on the impetus towards semiconductor chip manufacture and other critical and emerging technologies in the country, the Prime Minister said, "The Semiconductor mission is something we should have started 30 years back. We are already late". Discussing the ongoing efforts in this regard."
"We have taken giant leaps in our semiconductor manufacturing mission. Our focus is now on bringing in the entire ecosystem of electronics manufacturing into India which includes the entire value chain," the PM said.
He also discussed the efforts to develop India's leadership in Artificial Intelligence, and said "We will be working on our own computing power in large indigenous language models keeping in mind the diversity of Indian languages and our needs."
Responding to questions about the BJP selecting new Chief Ministers for three Hindi heartland states, Modi stated that while it may seem like a new trend, it is not unprecedented.
He cited his own example, highlighting that he became the Chief Minister of Gujarat without prior administrative experience or being elected to the Legislative Assembly.
"It may appear like a fresh trend but this is not a new trend," he said, adding that he is the best example of this practice within the BJP.
The Prime Minister said when he became the CM of Gujarat, he had no prior administrative experience and was not even elected to the Legislative Assembly.
Coming down heavily on the opposition parties over "dynastic politics", the PM said they find democratic churn difficult.
"Most of the other parties today are parivarvadi parties and these find this democratic churn difficult."
He said the BJP is a cadre-based party, driven by a clear mission and has the ability to nurture multiple generations of leadership at the same time.
Answering queries, the Prime Minister referred to COVID-19 and said that India has shown remarkable resilience despite two years of a once-in-a-century pandemic.
He said the creation of jobs has been the top priority of his government.
"Average inflation during 2014-15 to 2023-24 (till November) was only 5.1 per cent, compared to 8.2 per cent during the previous 10 years (2004-05 to 2013-14). Creation of jobs has been the topmost priority of my government. All our efforts have been geared up to the task," he added.
The Prime Minister also emphasised that characterizing the BJP as a party which is not pan-India would be an oversimplification and said that the single largest party in southern India in terms of Lok Sabha seats.
"Today, there is no corner of the country where our party does not have support. From local bodies in Kerala to being the principal opposition in many states, our party is doing robust work among the people," he said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that his party also has its reach in the northeastern states, including in Christian-majority states. "From no presence in 2014, we are now in government in six Northeast states, including Christian-majority states like Nagaland and Meghalaya," he said.
The Prime Minister said the BJP securing a hat-trick in 2024 is not a question of confidence as the people of the country have "seen the lack of governance in the era of mili-juli sarkars".
"Today there is a consensus amongst the people, the experts, the opinion makers and friends from the media too - our country doesn't need a mili-juli sarkar. We have lost 30 years due to instability resulting from mili-juli sarkar. People have seen the lack of governance, appeasement politics, and corruption in the era of mili-juli sarkar. This resulted in the loss of optimism and confidence among the people and gave a bad image to India in the world. So, naturally, the choice of people is BJP," he said.
Reiterating his philosophy of Nation First, PM Modi said, "Everything I have done, as a Karyakarta, as a CM and as PM, I have always put the nation first. Every decision I have taken has been taken with the national interest in mind. Often people ask me about how I took a difficult decision. For me, it does not seem difficult because I take all my decisions with the single prism of Nation First."
He also talked about the mantra behind his approach to policymaking and said "Main kuch bhi acha lage isliye nahi karta, Lekin acha ho isliye karta hu".
Further, talking about his management and dealing with tasks associated with challenging sectors, the PM said, "Makhan par lakir to sab karte hai. Karni hai to pathar par lakir karo. Kathin hai to kya hua, Shuruat to kare. (It is easy to draw a line in butter. If you have to, draw a line in stone. It is hard, but let's make a beginning).