"You've A Tractor, I Don't Even Have Bicycle": PM's Banter With Jammu Sarpanch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with beneficiaries of various government schemes and said how people have immense confidence in his government after the work they have done in the last 10 years.

The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra is being undertaken across the country with the aim of attaining saturation of flagship schemes of the government by ensuring that the benefits of these schemes reach all targeted beneficiaries in a time-bound manner, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

During the event, PM Modi had a fun exchange with a sarpanch from Jammu. Balveer Kaur, sarpanch of Rangpur village, was telling the Prime Minister about the schemes she has benefited from when someone in the crowd pushed her to get a seat. Seeing the jostling, PM Modi asked Ms Kaur to hold on to her seat as new claimants were pushing.

"Apni kursi sambhaliye, ab sarpanch wo hi ban jayengi (Hold on to your chair, or she will become the new sarpanch)," he joked.   

When Ms Kaur told the PM about how she had purchased a tractor using a Kisan credit card, he said, "You have a tractor, I don't even have a bicycle".

Throwing light on the purpose of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, the Prime Minister said that it aims to learn from the experiences of the existing beneficiaries and also encompass those who have not yet availed the benefits.

The Prime Minister said the present government considers its citizens as 'God' unlike the previous governments which saw themselves as parents to the people.

"The people of the country have seen that period when the earlier governments considered themselves the parents of the people. Due to this, a large population of the country remained deprived of basic facilities for many decades after independence," he said.