Mocking Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for saying that his government will "expire" on June 4, the day of the counting for the Lok Sabha elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said she is telling the truth and the term of this government would end then anyway. After the elections, he and the BJP will form the new government, the PM said, adding, "I am indestructible, I am from Kashi."
In an exclusive interview with NDTV on Friday, PM Modi spoke on a host of issues, including his infrastructure push, his plans for the future of India and the increased participation of women in every sector.
The PM was also asked about Mamata Banerjee's statement that his government will expire soon - a claim she had also made in 2019. Recently, her nephew and senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee made comments along similar lines and said, "The term of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre will expire soon, which will be evident once the Lok Sabha election results are out on June 4. The INDIA bloc will form the government and the Trinamool Congress will play a key role."
Responding to all of this, the PM said, "She is speaking the truth. This government has to end on June 4, then a new government has to be formed, doesn't it? This is constitutional that the term of the government has to end, there is nothing political in it. After the elections, a new government will be formed and we will form it."
When he was told that she would set a new expiry date when that happened, PM Modi laughed and made a reference to his constituency of Varanasi, from where he is seeking a third term as MP. "Arre aisa hai ki main avinashi hoon ji, main Kashi ka hoon, Kashi to avinashi hai (I am from Kashi, I am indestructible. Kashi is indestructible)."
The BJP under PM Modi, which had won 282 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 and bettered its tally to 303 in 2019, has set itself a target of winning 370 constituencies in the ongoing elections. The sixth phase of polling will be held on Saturday, followed by the last on June 1. Counting will take place on June 4.
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