"Had Said It's 300-Plus For Us", Says PM In Ahmedabad; Meets His Mother

PM Narendra Modi touches the feet of his mother in Gandhinagar as he takes her blessings

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his return to power was a huge responsibility that the people have bestowed on him. Speaking at a rally in Ahmedabad - his first since the massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections - he said, "We have to utilise these five years to solve issues of the common citizens".

The coming years, he said, will be about "jan bhagidari" (participation of people in governance) and "jan chetna" (raising awareness). He also expressed his grief for last week's fire tragedy in Surat, in which 22 school students died.

PM Modi, who will take oath on Thursday evening, had gone to Ahmedabad on Sunday to take the blessings of his mother. While there, he also held a rally and addressed the people of his home state, which he ruled as a Chief Minister for 13 years.

"I am here for a darshan of the people of Gujarat. The blessings of the state's citizens have always been very special for me," said the Prime Minister, who landed in Ahmedabad to a grand welcome from BJP workers.

PM Modi, who had repeatedly claimed that the election, instead of an anti-incumbency, had a pro-incumbency wave. He referred to the matter again on Sunday, saying, "After the sixth phase of polling, I had said that it's 300 plus for us. When I said it, people mocked me. But the results are for everyone to see".

The BJP has won 303 seats in the Lok Sabha, way above 2014 score of 282 seats. After the fifth phase, party chief Amit Shah had claimed the party had crossed 300 seats.

PM Modi's 98-year-old mother Heeraben lives with her younger son Pankaj Modi.

The Prime Minister meets his mother regularly before important occasions such as elections, apart from routine visits despite his packed day plans.

In a tweet on Saturday, he said, "Will be going to Gujarat tomorrow evening, to seek blessings of my Mother. Day after tomorrow morning, I will be in Kashi to thank the people of this great land for reposing their faith in me."

In a recent interview with actor Akshay Kumar, PM Modi had said he had left home at a very young age. "But that doesn't mean I am not attached to my mother... My life has become such that the country is my family and that is how I operate," he had said.