PUNE, Aug 1 (PTI): “Trust surplus” is seen today both in policies and hard work of the people in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday, as he received the Lokmanya Tilak National Award in Pune.
Development is impossible if there is an atmosphere of mistrust, Modi said in his acceptance speech at the event, where he shared the stage with NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Modi spoke of India’s journey from “trust deficit” to “trust surplus”.
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Modi cited a survey conducted at an international level and said India is the country where people trust their government the most.
He said in the last nine years, the people of India made big transformations possible. People of India made the country the fifth largest economy in the world, he added.
Lokmanya Tilak understood the importance of a free press, the PM said. “He changed the course of the freedom struggle. The British called him the father of Indian unrest,” he added.
Today, the country is believing in itself in every sphere, Modi said.
He also said today some people get uncomfortable if a road named after a foreign invader is renamed.
The PM said he feels honoured to receive the award named after Lokmanya Tilak, who was at the forefront of India’s freedom struggle.
He said there are several things we could learn from the life of Tilak.
“Tilak had great faith in the Bhagavad Gita. The British had sent him to Mandalay prison, but there also he continued his research on the Bhagavad Gita and wrote Gita Rahasya and introduced people to the power of karma,” Modi said.
He said Tilak insisted that people believe in themselves.
“He used to make them believe in themselves. When people at that time made up their minds that it was impossible for India to break the chains of slavery, he gave people the confidence of freedom. He had trust in our traditions, he had trust in our people, workers, he had trust in the prowess of India,” Modi said.
In an atmosphere of mistrust, the nation’s development is not possible, he said.
“Yesterday, I got a tweet from one Manoj Pochat, who reminded me of my visit to Pune 10 years ago. I had then spoken at Fergusson College about the trust deficit. Today, he has requested me to speak about a journey from trust deficit to trust surplus,” Modi said.
“Today, trust surplus is seen both in policies and hard work of the people in the country,” the PM said.
“In the last nine years, the people of India laid the foundations of big developments and made big transformations possible, and that is why India became the fifth largest economy in the world. It is the people of India who made it happen,” he said.
Lokmanya Tilak had this unique ability to identify young talent, he said, adding that (late Hindutva ideologue) Veer Savarkar was one such example.
Tilak realised the capability of Veer Savarkar and was instrumental in his education abroad, he said.
“When an award is named after Lokmanya Tilak, the responsibility increases,” he said.
The PM also said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was deeply impacted by a speech of Lokmanya Tilak.
Tilak had gone to Ahmedabad to address the people. More than 40,000 people came to listen to him, he said.
“Among them was Patel, who was deeply impacted by his speech. Later, Patel became president of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. Look at his thinking. He decided to install Tilak’s bust in Ahmedabad and chose the Victoria Garden, which was made in memory of Queen Victoria, for it,” said Modi.
Patel faced a lot of opposition as attempts were made to stop him, but he resolved that if Tilak’s bust was not allowed to be installed in the garden, he would give up his position, the PM said.
“Finally, the statue was installed and in 1929, Mahatma Gandhi inaugurated the bust of Tilak. While living in Ahmedabad, I got the opportunity to visit the statue numerous times,” he said.
Modi said one can imagine that in the times of slavery, Sardar Patel challenged the British Empire for the “son of the country”.
“In today’s scenario, if a road named after a foreign invader is renamed after an Indian personality, some people make a hue and cry and get sleepless nights,” he said.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, India believed in its scientists and they made an Indian vaccine and Pune played a vital role in that. We are talking about ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ (self-reliant India) because we know India can do it,” he said.
Modi said he has given Rs 1 lakh received with the Lokmanya Tilak National Award to the Namami Gange project.
“Today, Mudra loans are being offered to the common people of the country without any guarantee and this is happening as the country trusts their honesty and capabilities. Earlier, (even) for small jobs, people used to face hardships. But today, the majority of work is happening at the tip of fingers using phones.
“Because of this, a different kind of atmosphere, a positive atmosphere is being created. We can see that people who are filled with confidence are coming forward to work for the country,” the Prime Minister said as he cited initiatives like Swachh Bharat, surrendering LPG subsidy, and the ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ campaign.
Modi said one’s responsibilities increase after receiving an award and when the award is in the name of Lokmanya Tilak, then that responsibility increases fourfold.
“After 75 years of Independence, India is looking at ‘Amrit Kaal’ as the ‘Kartvaya Kaal’ where every citizen is working at his level keeping in mind the dreams and resolutions of the country. That’s why the world is also seeing the future in India as our efforts of today are becoming an assurance for the entire humanity,” he added.
Modi also said people will definitely turn the dream of a strong and prosperous India into a reality with the power of Lokmanya Tilak’s thoughts and blessings.
Speaking before Modi, Sharad Pawar said the first surgical strike in India was during Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s period.
The NCP leader said the country had seen two eras: One of Tilak and another of Mahatma Gandhi.
Besides Pawar, chief minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, and Congress leader Sushilkumar Shinde were also present on the stage.
