Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that today's aspirational and young India wants rapid development and understands the importance of stability and strong will for its realisation.
"This is why people of India broke the political instability of three decades by pressing a button," said Modi about his 2014 election victory when a full-majority government was elected for the first time in 30 years.
Speaking to the Indian diaspora in Germany's Berlin, Modi said, "It was the aspiration for positive change and rapid development for which people of India elected a full-majority government in 2014. It is the great foresight of the people that it strengthened the government even more in 2019."
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Modi is in Germany in the first leg of his three-nation visit of Europe. There is an Indian community of around 2 lakh in the country.
Modi further said, "A country progresses when its people lead it and give it direction. Now it's not the government but people of India who are the country's driving force."
Talking about development and his government's welfare measures, he said, "Technology's inclusion in governance shows new political will of new India and is proof of democracy's ability to deliver. In last seven-eight years, the Indian government transferred over Rs 22 lakh crore through direct benefits transfer to beneficiaries' bank accounts."
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Prior to his address to the diaspora, Modi met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for one-on-one talks as well as delegation level talks, which were also attended by External Affairs Minister S Jaishaknar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Modi and Scholz also co-chaired the 6th India-Germany Inter-Governmental Consultations, which was also attended by Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
After Germany, Modi will visit Denmark, where he will meet Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Queen Margrethe II. He will also visit France where he will meet President Emmanuel Macron.
(with PTI inputs)
