New Delhi: A vision and a long-term goal for the country -- this is what Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasises on as he seeks a third term at the Centre with an overwhelming mandate of 400-plus seats for the NDA. PM Modi had made it clear in the run-up to the election -- planning for the future on a grand scale even before a single vote was cast, taking his ministers with a plan for the first 100 days of his government, and asking them to hit the ground running once the results come in.
In a wide-ranging interview with NDTV Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia, PM Modi said, "In the life of a nation, as with people, there are turning points. I thought we should utilise that... This is our time. We can't let go of the opportunity".
While setting the country's goals, he has been taking feedback from the people, especially the youth, and the work on a blueprint is fairly advanced, the Prime Minister said. "I have had 15/20 lakh proposals from the young people and the process has set off a great churning," he said.
These plans, he added, have been broken up into achievable tranches. "We have broken down the plans into 25 years, 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, 100 days," he told NDTV.
PM Modi told NDTV that the process of his visualising the country at the age of 100 started while planning for 75 years of Independence.
"When the 75th year of independence rolled along, I was not thinking of 75 years. I was thinking of 100. 100 years of Independence," he told NDTV. And he shared the method of his preparation as well. "I do not think piecemeal fashion... I have a comprehensive and integrated approach," PM Modi told NDTV.
"So this is the question I asked wherever I went. I asked institutes, 'What will you do when the country turns 100? Where will your institution be... RBI (Reserve Bank of India) had a 90-year-plan. I said, 'Fine, what will you do when the country turns 100'?"
With four phases of election already over, the number of seats where polling took place has already crossed the halfway mark of Lok Sabha's 543 seats. The BJP is confident that it has won most of those seats.
Senior party leader Amit Shah has already said that the results in the eastern states like Bihar and Odisha and the south will be an eye opener.
Tune in at 8 pm today to watch the interview, which will be aired across the NDTV network.
The Lok Sabha elections started on April 19. The fifth phase of polling will take place on tomorrow. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.