Scott Morrison: 'Our goal is to get through this together', Address to nation on covid-19 -2020

24 March 2020, Canberra, Australia

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I said in the Parliament that 2020, for most Australians, was going to be their toughest year. And what we have seen unfold just this week has been demonstrating just that.

Australians who have lost their jobs, lost hours of work, businesses that have been forced to close their business — these are heartbreaking events in our nation's history and story.

And I want to assure all Australians the National Cabinet has been meeting, and state governments also, and we've considered the many, many difficult issues we're having to address. We are not unconscious of the real impacts that these measures are having on the daily lives of Australians and so we will continue to do everything we can, both as a federal government and as state and territory governments around the country, to do all we can to support our people through what is going to be an incredibly difficult time.

The queues that we saw outside Centrelink, the challenges and frustrations people have had in gaining access is a sheer function of the extraordinary and overwhelming demand, and we will work night and day to ensure that we can get more capacity into these systems. But what this reflects is the size of the need and the size of that need is demonstrated by the impacts of what the coronavirus and the many things that governments are having to do to limit its health impacts across the country and to ensure that we can protect the lives of Australians.

But our goal is to get through this together and by following common sense rules, and doing the right thing, that's how we slow the spread of this virus and that's how we save lives.

It also means that when we all do that, that we can potentially limit further economic harm from other measures. Not all states, I want to stress, are in the same position. Some states, particularly in New South Wales and Victoria, are far more advanced on the progression of this virus than other states and territories. But tonight, despite the variations that do exist, there is a strong will for states and territories to seek to move together wherever they possibly can to ensure a consistency of application of the various rules and arrangements that we are putting in place across the country.

Tonight, we agreed to extend the restrictions that were announced on Sunday night, but to do so in a manner that was consistent with the types of measures that we announced on Sunday night. What I mean by that is there was an initial list of activities that largely went to the issues of social gatherings, particularly in enclosed spaces, that was being done to restrict the amount of contact between people outside activities such as going to work and things of that nature. And so tonight, we worked to complete that list of those types of activities that we believe are appropriate at this time to slow the spread of the virus to ensure that we are covering all the necessary activities and business functions inside premises that should be considered at this time.

And so, from midnight tomorrow night, all of these following activities, and they include some I have already announced from earlier, will no longer be taking place. Cafes, I have already said, but for takeaway, that will continue. So, no change to the issues around cafes. Food courts and* shopping centres will not be allowed to continue. But getting takeaway from those food outlets in those shopping centres, that can continue because take away is able to be done.

In the retail space, auction houses, gatherings together in auction rooms, that can no longer continue. Real estate auctions and open house inspections, in particular open house inspections — that cannot continue.

Outdoor and indoor markets, excluding food markets like Flemington and things like, because that is essential to ensure the food supply right across the country, they will be addressed specifically by states and territories in each of their jurisdictions. States and territories have very different arrangements in terms of the types of markets they have and they'll be making those decisions specific to their states and territories, but the point and the principle is very clear — large gatherings brought together by particular organised events are things we have seeking to avoid. And that is the principle the states and territories will be seeking to follow.

In terms of personal services, where there is a lot of contact obviously between those providing that service in a premise, and the patrons, the following now won't be able to continue: Beauty therapy, tanning, waxing, nail salons and tattoo parlours and same for spa and massage parlours. That excludes health-related services in those areas, physiotherapists, things of that nature, health related and allied health services. Hairdressers and barber shops will continue to be able to provide those services but it is very important that they strictly manage the social-distancing and limitations of the number of people in their premise, so that's four square metres per person. And on top of that, to restrict the amount of time a patron is in the premise to no more than 30 minutes. And preferably less.

Cinemas, nightclubs, casinos, gaming or gambling venues, all of those were included in the announcement on Sunday, as were adult entertainment venues, concert venues, theatres, arenas, auditoriums, stadiums, they are all included in what we said on Sunday evening.
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Amusement parks and arcades are now included. Play centres, both indoor and outdoor, are also now included.

Community and recreation centres, health clubs, fitness centres, yoga, barre — I hope I pronounced that correctly, I might need some help with that, I'm not quite sure what that is to be honest — but B-A-R-R-E, for those looking for the specific definition, and spin facilities, saunas, bath houses, wellness centres. Boot camps and personal training is limited to a maximum of 10 people. And the social-distancing arrangements must be strictly enforced.

Social, sporting based activities, swimming pools. Now, I'll come back to the social and sporting-based activities in a second to explain what we mean by that. That's large groups of people gathering together to play soccer in a community oval and things of that nature. You can see what we're trying to do, we're trying to limit the gathering of people in large numbers that can relate to the transmitting of the virus through those social interactions which are not considered necessary.

Galleries, museums, national institutions, historic sites, libraries, community centres, youth centres, local government non-essential facilities, libraries and swimming pools. Community facilities such as community halls, RSLs, PCYCs. Many of those were already included in what I said on Sunday night and of course, places of worship. In places of worship and other similar type venues there has been a very difficult decision we've had to make tonight in relation to weddings and in relation to funerals.

Now, weddings can continue to be conducted where it is just the couple, the celebrant and the witnesses. That's no more than five people and the four square metre rule has to be observed within the venue in which that is taking place. But, large gatherings for weddings, sadly, won't be possible under these new arrangements. And sadly, also, and I know this will be very difficult, funerals to no more than 10 persons observing the rules around the four square metre rule and the social-distancing practices. Particularly on these types of activities this is not an easy decision. Where we have already found, and Dr Murphy can speak to this, some of the events that have been some of the major transmitting events, it has been exactly these types of events, particularly weddings. And that is why, regretfully, we have to be able to put these arrangements in place. Now, these are the rules and arrangements that are applied when it comes to the strict enforcement of these arrangements and that will come in from midnight tomorrow night and states and territories will be moving tomorrow to put those arrangements in place.

Now, there are some also very important further rules that we want people to follow, just like the 1.5-metre rule. Just like washing your hands and coughing into your elbow. And doing those straight-forward things.

That is, to stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary that you go out.

Going out for the basics, going out for exercise, perhaps with your partner or family members, provided it's a small group, that's fine. But going outside and going out and participating more broadly in the community unless you're shopping for basics or there are medical needs or you're providing care or support to another individual at another place. Going to work and where you cannot work from home. That is encouraged. Strongly encouraged to work from home where you can do that.

Visits to your premises, to your house, to your residence, should be kept to a minimum and with very small numbers of guests. We don't want to be overly specific about that, we want Australians to exercise their common sense. So that means barbecues of lots of friends, or even family, extended family, coming together to celebrate one-year-old birthday parties and all these sorts of things, we can't do those things now. These will be significant sacrifices, I know. We've all been to those events as extended families and gatherings. And gathering together in that way, even around the large family table in the family home when all the siblings get together and bring the kids, these are not things we can do now.

All of these things present risks and they obviously present them to the elderly members of our families as well, who we need to protect.

House parties where someone wants to now have the social events, not at clubs and venues like that but to organise a party at someone's home, the states and territories will be particularly looking at that one and be considering whether they will put specific measures in place that could lead to that being an offence for those who have organised those types of events.

Outdoors, do not congregate together in groups. Now, the medical experts panel have made suggestions about how that can be managed. It's very difficult to put a number on it. But the point about it is this: If you're gathering together in a group, say 10 people, together, outside in a group, that's not OK.

We've got to move people on. It's not a hard and fast rule. I say it only for illustrative purposes. The point is that you should only be going outside of your home to go to those essential things that I talked about, not to go and congregate together in groups. We need you to stop doing that. That is not going to help.

If we do all these things then we are going to be able to put greater pressure on slowing the rate of the spread of this virus, which in particular in New South Wales and Victoria has been growing at a much more rapid rate than other places, and the numbers in Queensland have been similarly affected.

Now on schools, the medical advice on schools has not changed. It is safe to send your children to school.

Tomorrow, I'll be meeting — and there has been discussions today between the Education Minister, Dan Tehan, and the education national unions, and I will be meeting with them tomorrow to discuss a set of arrangements that we would like to proceed with, that importantly keep schools open, that also will protect those teachers and other staff who are working in schools and to work through those issues to ensure we can put acceptable arrangements in place to ensure that children get taught.

I said this the other day: This is incredibly important. It's going to be a tough year in 2020 and one of the things I don't want to have yielded up is a year of a child's education, which is so important. We need to work so hard together to try and ensure that those kids get that education and that is not lost to this virus. So, I look forward to meeting with Australian Education Union tomorrow and to have that conversation and to see how we can come together and agree how we can continue to deliver that while doing that safely for those who work in schools and, of course, for the kids themselves. As we know, the medical advice is kids can safely go to schools. Under the arrangements we have already put in place we have seen the number of students attending schools reduce significantly. That actually assists in observing the other issues around social distancing that are applying more broadly across the community. So we can do this. We can work this out. That would mean ensuring the schools in those states that haven't already ended the term, which is only Victoria, that we would be able to continue to keep those schools open up to the end of the term, but I would anticipate that for several days prior to the end of the term there will need to be pupil-free days while the teachers and the school staff work on the projects they have already been pursuing on extending distance learning.

That will be an important job for those educators to be learning as we go into the term break. Schools, we agree, across the country, would need to reopen on the other side of the term break because it won't be a holiday. It won't be a school holiday given the arrangements I have just outlined to you. They will reconvene after the term break and there will be a mixture of both distance learning and where parents choose to keep their children at home, then there will be the learning that is there for them to undertake and the parents would be needing to take responsibility for ensuring that their children are engaged in that.

For all those workers who need to send their children to school, that's why the school needs to remain open. Now if you ask me who is an essential worker? Someone who has a job. Everyone who has a job in this economy is an essential worker. Every single job that is being done in our economy with these severe restrictions that are taking place is essential. It can be essential in a service whether it's a nurse or a doctor or a schoolteacher, or a public servant who is working tonight to ensure that we can get even greater capacity in our Centrelink offices, working until eight o'clock under the new arrangement in the call centres, these are all essential jobs. People are stacking shelves, that is essential. People earning money in their family when another member of their family may have lost their job and can no longer earn, that's an essential job. Jobs are essential. And everyone who has one needs to be able to keep doing their job and that means they will need to continue to be able to send their children to school for an education, for an education at that school.

So, I look forward to having those discussions tomorrow and I'm sure there will be a common sense of purpose in ensuring that we can meet the objectives and keep the nation functioning and providing the necessary education for children, the protection that is necessary for staff and to keep Australia running.

Now, before I go to Professor Murphy, there are one or two other things I had to mention. The national security task force that works on the coronavirus also met this evening. We have previously had a do-not-travel warning on Smart Traveller in terms of all overseas travel, that will turn into a ban. Using the biosecurity powers that were afforded to us by the Governor-General through the Minister for Health, now, the numbers of Australians going overseas has reduced dramatically. There will be exceptions to these rules which will be set out in the directive that will be provided. But this would include people involved in aid work in the Pacific and the support that we're providing. It may involve compassionate travel and essential travel for employment, things of that nature. The number of people and the number who are leaving Australia now is very, very low. But, still, it strikes me on those numbers that there are people defying that device and still looking to go overseas on leisure travel. They can't do it because when they come home they put Australians at risk. I had hoped that that would have been fully complied with and I've got to say Australians have been pretty good about it but we need to put that arrangement in place.

Also, we are putting in place arrangements that will make it an offence and we'll be able to seize at the border those who have engaged in profiteering by bringing together and making large purchases of various supplies in Australia and seeking to export them overseas. Now, it doesn't relate to normal commercial legal activities, but we have been able to seize at the border, and the Minister for Home Affairs can speak more to this, quantities of materials that were seeking to be sent overseas and that is not helping Australia. That is not consistent with doing the right thing and there will be penalties and enforcement and we will be able to seize that equipment. That could include medical supplies and include personal protective equipment, and that will be seized and redeployed to its best use here in Australia.

So with those changes, there was still a lot more we needed to deal with tonight, but we knew we needed to report tonight and the National Cabinet will meet again tomorrow evening at the same time to work through a series of other issues which includes further considering possible measures down the track. So, we're well prepared should we have to move to that stage and the thresholds that would be necessary to move to those other arrangements. It will also consider the issue of leases, that I flagged earlier, that will be considered. And there will be other matters that have been raised by Premiers and Chief Ministers that we'll address as we go forward as well. I apologise for the length. It has been a busy night and hopefully that's been very clear.

Jimmy Carter: '1976 will not be politics as usual', Democratic Convention Acceptance Speech - 1976

16 July 1976, Democratic National Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA

My name is Jimmy Carter, and I’m running for President.

It’s been – It’s been a long time since I said those words the first time, and now I’ve come here after seeing our great country to accept your nomination.

I accept it, in the words of John F. Kennedy, “with a full and grateful heart and with only one obligation: to devote every effort of body, mind, and spirit to lead our Party back to victory and our nation back to greatness.” ¹

It’s a pleasure to be here with all you Democrats and to see that our Bicentennial celebration and our Bicentennial Convention has been one of decorum and order without any fights or free-for-alls. Among Democrats that can only happen once every two hundred years. With this kind of a united Democratic Party, we are ready and eager to take on the Republicans -- whichever Republican Party they decide to send against us in November.

Nineteen seventy-six will not be a year of politics as usual. It can be a year of inspiration and hope, and it will be a year of concern, of quiet and sober reassessment of our nation’s character and purpose -- a year when voters have already confounded the experts. And I guarantee you that it will be the year when we give the government of this country back to the people of this country.

There is a new mood in America. We’ve been shaken by a tragic war abroad and by scandals and broken promises at home. Our people are searching for new voices and new ideas and new leaders.

Although government has its limits and cannot solve all our problems, we Americans reject the view that we must be reconciled to failures and mediocrity, or to an inferior quality of life. For I believe that we can come through this time of trouble stronger than ever. Like troops who’ve been in combat, we’ve been tempered in the fire; we’ve been disciplined, and we’ve been educated.

Guided by lasting and simple moral values, we’ve emerged idealists without illusions, realists who still know the old dreams of justice and liberty, of country, and of community.

This year we’ve had thirty state primaries –m ore than ever before -- making it possible to take our campaign directly to the people of America: to homes and shopping centers, to factory shift lines and colleges, to beauty parlors and barbershops, to farmers’ markets and union halls.

This has been a long and a personal campaign -- a kind of humbling experience, reminding us that ultimate political influence rests not with the power brokers but with the people.

This has been a time for learning and for the exchange of ideas. A time of tough debate on the important issues facing our country. This kind of debate is part of our tradition, and as Democrats we are heirs to a great tradition.

I have never met a Democratic President, but I have always been a Democrat.

Years ago, as a farm boy sitting outdoors with my family on the ground in the middle of the night, gathered close around a battery radio connected to the automobile battery and listening to the Democratic conventions in far-off cities, I was a long way from the selection process then. I feel much closer to it tonight.

Ours is a Party of the man who was nominated by those distant conventions and who inspired and restored this nation in its darkest hours: Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Ours is a Party of a fighting Democrat who showed us that a common man could be an uncommon leader: Harry S. Truman.

Ours is a Party of a brave young President who called the young at heart, regardless of age, to seek a “New Frontier” of national greatness: John F. Kennedy.

And ours is also the party of a great-hearted Texan who took office in a tragic hour and who went on to do more than any other President in this century to advance the cause of human rights: Lyndon Johnson.

And our Party was built out of the sweatshops of the old Lower East Side, the dark mills of New Hampshire, the blazing hearths of Illinois, the coal mines of Pennsylvania, the hard-scrabble farms of the southern coastal plains, and the unlimited frontiers of America.

Ours is a Party that welcomed generations of immigrants -- the Jews, the Irish, the Italians, the Poles, and all the others, enlisted them in its ranks and fought the political battles that helped bring them into the American mainstream. And they have shaped the character of our Party.

That is our heritage. Our party has not been perfect. We’ve made mistakes, and we’ve paid for them. But ours is a tradition of leadership and compassion and progress.

Our leaders have fought for every piece of progressive legislation, from RFD and REA to Social Security and civil rights. In times of need, the Democrats were there.

But in recent years our nation has seen a failure of leadership. We’ve been hurt, and we’ve been disillusioned. We’ve seen a wall go up that separates us from our own government.

We’ve lost some precious things that historically have bound our people and our government together. We feel that moral decay has weakened our country, that it’s crippled by a lack of goals and values, and that our public officials have lost faith in us.

We’ve been a nation adrift too long.

We’ve been without leadership too long.

We’ve had divided and deadlocked government too long.

We’ve been governed by veto too long.

We’ve suffered enough at the hands of a tired and worn-out Administration without new ideas, without youth or vitality, without vision and without the confidence of the American people. There's a fear that our best years are behind us. But I say to you that our nation’s best is still ahead.

Our country's lived through a time of torment. It’s now a time for healing. We want to have faith again. We want to be proud again. We just want the truth again.

It is time for the people to run the government, and not the other way around.

It's time to honor and strengthen our families and our neighborhoods and our diverse cultures and customs.

We need a Democratic President and a Congress to work in harmony for a change, with mutual respect for a change, in the open for a change. And next year we are going to have that new leadership. You can depend on it.

It's time for America to move and to speak not with boasting and belligerence but with a quiet strength, to depend in world affairs not merely on the size of an arsenal but on the nobility of ideas, and to govern at home not by confusion and crisis but with grace and imagination and common sense.

Too many have had to suffer at the hands of a political economic elite who have shaped decisions and never had to account for mistakes nor to suffer from injustice.

When unemployment -- When unemployment prevails, they never stand in line looking for a job.

When deprivation results from a confused and bewildering welfare system, they never do without food or clothing or a place to sleep.

When the public schools are inferior or torn by strife, their children go to exclusive private schools.

And when the bureaucracy is bloated and confused, the powerful always manage to discover and occupy niches of special influence and privilege. An unfair tax structure serves their needs. And tight secrecy always seems to prevent reform.

All of us must be careful not to cheat each other. Too often unholy, self-perpetuating alliances have been formed between money and politics, and the average citizen has been held at arm’s length.

Each time our nation has made a serious mistake, the American people have been excluded from the process. The tragedy of Vietnam and Cambodia, the disgrace of Watergate, and the embarrassment of the CIA revelations could have been avoided if our government had simply reflected the sound judgment and the good common sense and the high moral character of the American people.

It’s time for us to take a new look at our own government, to strip away the secrecy, to expose the unwarranted pressure of lobbyists, to eliminate waste, to release our civil servants from bureaucratic chaos, to provide tough management, and always to remember that in any town or city the mayor, the governor, and the President represent exactly the same constituents.

As a Governor, I had to deal each day with the complicated and confused and overlapping and wasteful federal government bureaucracy. As President, I want you to help me evolve an efficient, economical, purposeful, and manageable government for our nation. Now, I recognize the difficulty, but if I’m elected, it’s going to be done. And you can depend on it.

We must strengthen the governments closest to the people. Business, labor, agriculture, education, science, education and government should not struggle in isolation from one another but should be able to strive toward mutual goals and shared opportunities. We should make major investments in people and not in buildings and weapons. The poor, the aged, the weak, the afflicted must be treated with respect and compassion and with love.

Now I've spoken a lot of times this year about love. But love must be aggressively translated into simple justice.

The test of any government is not how popular it is with the powerful, but how honestly and fairly it deals with those who must depend on it. It’s time for a complete overhaul of our income tax system. I still tell you, it’s a disgrace to the human race. All my life I’ve heard promises about tax reform, but it never quite happens. With your help, we are finally going to make it happen. And you can depend on it.

Here is something that can really help our country: It's time for universal voter registration.

It's time for a nationwide comprehensive health program for all our people.

It’s time to guarantee an end to discrimination because of race or sex by full involvement in the decision-making processes of government by those who know what it is to suffer from discrimination. And they’ll be in the government if I am elected.

It’s time -- It’s time for the law to be enforced. We cannot educate children, we cannot create harmony among our people, we cannot preserve basic human freedom unless we have an orderly society.

Now crime and lack of justice are especially cruel to those who are least able to protect themselves. Swift arrest and trial, fair and uniform punishment, should be expected by anyone who would break our laws.

It’s time -- It’s time for our government leaders to respect the law no less than the humblest citizen, so that we can end once and for all a double standard of justice.

I see no reason -- I see no reason why big-shot crooks should go free and the poor ones go to jail.

A simple -- A simple and a proper function of government is just to make it easy for us to do good and difficult for us to do wrong.

Now as an engineer, a planner, a businessman, I see clearly the value to our nation of a strong system of free enterprise based on increased productivity and adequate wages. We Democrats believe that competition is better than regulation, and we intend to combine strong safeguards for consumers with minimal intrusion of government in our free economic system.

I believe – I believe that anyone who is able to work ought to work -- and ought to have a chance to work. We’ll never have an end to the inflationary spiral; we’ll never have a balanced budget -- which I am determined to see -- as long as we have eight or nine million Americans out of work who cannot find a job. Now any system of economics is bankrupt if it sees either value or virtue in unemployment. We simply -- We simply cannot check inflation by keeping people out of work.

The foremost -- The foremost, responsibility of any President, above all else, is to guarantee the security of our nation -- a guarantee of freedom from the threat of successful attack or blackmail, and the ability with our allies to maintain peace.

But peace is not the mere absence of war. Peace is action to stamp out international terrorism. Peace -- Peace is the unceasing effort to preserve human rights.

And peace is a combined demonstration of strength and good will. We’ll pray for peace and we’ll work for peace, until we have removed from all nations for all time the threat of nuclear destruction.

America’s birth opened a new chapter in mankind’s history. Ours was the first nation to dedicate itself clearly to basic moral and philosophical principles: that all people are created equal and endowed with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and it’s the power of government is derived from the consent of the governed.

This -- This national commitment was a singular act of wisdom and courage, and it brought the best and the bravest from other nations to our shores. It was a revolutionary development that captured the imagination of mankind. It created a basis for a unique role for America -- that of a pioneer in shaping more decent and just relations among people and among societies.

Today, two hundred years later, we must address ourselves to that role, both in what we do at home and how we act abroad -- mong people everywhere who have become politically more alert, socially more congested, and increasingly impatient with global inequities, and who are now organized, as you know, into some one hundred and fifty different nations. This calls for nothing less than a sustained architectural effort to shape an international framework of peace within which our own ideals gradually can become a global reality.

Our nation should always derive its character directly from the people and let this be the strength and the image to be presented to the world -- the character of the American people.

To our friends and allies, I say that what unites us through our common dedication to democracy is much more important than that which occasionally divides us on economics of politics. To the nations that seek to lift themselves from poverty, I say that America shares your aspirations and extends its hand to you. To those nation-states that wish to compete with us, I say that we neither fear competition nor see it as an obstacle to wider cooperation. And to all people I say that after two hundred years America still remains confident and youthful in its commitment to freedom and equality, and we always will be.

During this election year, we candidates will ask you for your votes, and from us will be demanded our vision.

My vision of this nation and its future has been deepened and matured during the nineteen months that I’ve have campaigned among you for President. I‘ve never had more faith in America than I do today.

We have an America that, in Bob Dylan’s phrase, is "busy being born", not "busy dying."

We can have an American government that’s turned away from scandal, and corruption, and official cynicism, and is once again as decent and competent as our people.

We can have an America that has reconciled its economic needs with its desire for an environment that we can pass on with pride to the next generation.

We can have an America that provides excellence in education to my child and your child and every child.

We can have an America that encourages and takes pride in our ethnic diversity, our religious diversity, our cultural diversity, knowing that out of this pluralistic heritage has come the strength and the vitality and the creativity that has made us great and will keep us great.

We can have an American government that does not oppress or spy on its own people, but respects our dignity and our privacy and our right to be let alone.

We can have an America where freedom, on the one hand, and equality, on the other hand, are mutually supportive and not in conflict, and where the dreams of our nation’s first leaders are fully realized in our own day and age.

And we can have an America which harnesses the idealism of the student, the compassion of a nurse or the social worker, the determination of a farmer, the wisdom of a teacher, the practicality of the business leader, the experience of the senior citizen, and the hope of a laborer to build a better life for us all! And we can have it, and we’re going to have it.

As I’ve said many times before, we can have an American President who does not govern with negativism and fear of the future, but with vigor and vision and aggressive leadership -- a President who’s not isolated from the people, but who feels your pain and shares your dreams and takes his strength and his wisdom and his courage from you.

I see an America on the move again, united, a diverse and vital and tolerant nation, entering our third century with pride and confidence, an America that lives up to the majesty of our Constitution and the simple decency of our people.

This is the America we want. This is the America that we will have.

We will go forward from this convention with some differences of opinion perhaps, but nevertheless united in a calm determination to make our country large, and driving, and generous in spirit once again, ready to embark on great national deeds. And once again, as brothers and sisters, our hearts will swell with pride to call ourselves Americans.

Thank you very much.

Narendra Modi: 'We will be 100% successful', Madison Square Garden speech - 2014

28 September 2014, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA

Bharat Mata ki... [the crowd cheers and completes the slogan: “... Jai!”.

To my dear brothers and sisters settled in America. To all the distinguished and strong members of the American democracy present here, to all the brothers and sisters in India watching today’s event via Internet and TV, and those who couldn’t make it inside the event and are outside; I welcome and acknowledge them.

And a very, very happy Navratri to all of you. Navratri’s festival is a festival to worship power. It is a festival of purging evil. It is a festival to increase your dedication and strength.

On such a pious occasion, I’ve had the chance to meet all of you, and for that I’m very privileged. That my countrymen who having settled here, thousands of miles away from India, have increased India’s honor and pride. Because there was a time when India was known as the land of snakes and snake charmers.

If it wasn’t for you, if it wasn’t for India’s youth today, it wasn’t for what you did in the IT sector, then perhaps even today, India would have been perceived as the land of snakes and snake charmers.

A few years ago I was in Taiwan. Back then I wasn’t a chief minister and I had an interpreter with me. After a few days, we got acquainted and he asked me one day, “If you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?” I said, “Yes, I won’t mind, please go ahead.” He asked again, “Are you sure you won’t mind?” I said, “No, I won’t. Please go ahead.” He was still hesitant. And then he said, “I’ve heard that India is a land of black magic, snakes and snake charmers, that people play around with snakes; Is this all true?’

I replied, “No, not anymore. Our nation has developed a lot since then. Our ancestors used to play with the snake, but today we play with the mouse.” And our youth today move the world with their mouse!

All of you, through your behavior, through your heritage, through your capability, have earned a lot of respect in America. Through your medium, you’ve presented a unique, powerful image of India to not just America, but also to the people of the rest of the world who are settled in America, and in other parts of the world.

India recently had elections. Many of you didn’t get the opportunity to participate in the elections, but all of you probably didn’t sleep when the results were declared. Not a single one of you would have been able to sleep that night. The celebrations that followed in India were nothing compared to the celebrations by Indians around the world.

And many of you did participate in these elections. People gave their time. I couldn’t even meet them and say thanks. But today, I thank you all personally. I thank you that you came and stayed in the villages of India for months, and made a large contribution to a historic election victory in India.

After 30 years, for the first time, a government was formed with a full majority. These election results couldn’t be believed by any political pundit in India. All opinion-makers were unsuccessful in their opinions. The poor, uneducated people in the villages of India made the opinion for the opinion-makers. The poorest of the poor’s belief in Indian democracy and its democratic system was proven by this election result.

But to win the election is not the ultimate goal. It’s not a program to sit on the top. To win the election is a responsibility. And since I’ve taken charge, I haven’t taken a vacation for even 15 minutes. And I assure you, that the responsibility and the mandate you and the Indians have given me, we will never do anything that will make you look down.

Optimism and Hope

In our country today, there is an atmosphere of optimism and hope. The people of India want change. The way the world is going through various economic crises, every poor person looking at this asks, “How long will we live like this?” He wants change.

And my dear countrymen, I assure you, to change India’s economic situation, to create a competent public system, to increase every person’s quality of life, the government you’ve chosen will leave no stone unturned. I know this very well, that in the hearts of all of you sitting here, you have a lot of expectations from India. Even in the hearts of Indian citizens, there are a lot of expectations from the existing government. But, I can assure you that this government will be 100% successful in meeting your hopes and expectations.

When I was the CM [Chief Minister] of Gujarat, I said once publicly that whoever wants to come to India, come to India soon. Don’t be late! Back then, I didn’t know how I was to be responsible for making this actually happen. But look today: Every Indian settled in America for however long a time feels that one foot should be kept in India always.

My dear countrymen, all of the world is convinced that the 21st Century is the Asian century. Many world leaders have said so. Some say it’s the Asian century; some say it’s the Indian century. And it’s not just lightly said. India has the potential. It has the credibility. And now, it has a unique combination. Imagine, today India is the world’s youngest nation. And also the nation with the world’s most ancient civilization. It’s a unique combination! Sixty-five percent of the population today in India is less than 35 years of age. Any nation with that capability, with that kind of resource, whose fingers have the capability to connect to the world through computers, a nation whose youth through its capabilities is able to determine its future, that nation doesn’t need to look back.

There is no reason to be disappointed, friends! I can say with full confidence, say that this nation will move ahead at a very high speed, with the strength of its youth!

India has three things today which are not possessed by any other nation. Our responsibility is to recognize these three strengths and to present it to the world, to unite these strengths and mobilize them and move ahead.

When 1.25 billion people give their blessings, that is the blessings of God himself. The face of the public is the face of God.

Those three strengths that India can feel proud of, and on the basis of which India can move forward, are:

Number one, democracy: This is our biggest strength. I was watching when, during these elections, in the peak heat of May, a poor person with almost no clothes on would come to listen to the election speeches, with the hope that this is the democratic system through which he will be able to fulfill his dreams and hopes. In India, democracy isn’t just a convenience or system; it is a strong belief!

The second strength is the “demographic dividend.” A country which has greater than 65% of its population as youth, what more does such a nation need or require?

The third strength that we have is demand. The whole world’s eyes are on India, because they know that India is a nation of 1.25 billion people and therefore has big demand.

No other nation has these three strengths. And on the basis of these strengths, India will conquer new heights; this is my firm belief. America is the oldest democracy in the world; India is the world’s largest democracy. People from all over the world are settled in USA. And Indians are settled throughout the world!

Make Development a Mass Revolution

There is no corner of the world where you won’t find an Indian, and there is no city in USA where people of other parts of the world aren’t settled. These are such similar things! And that’s why, my brothers and sisters, India in the coming days—.

It has been my firm belief that governments aren’t able to drive progress. Governments are capable of issuing laws and schemes like building roads, hospitals, schools. They have budget limitations. There is progress only when there is public participation. By sad fate till now, governments have taken sole charge of development. This government will work with the 1.25 billion people of the nation for its progress.

We have another problem in the nation: If the nation wishes to progress, then it’s the responsibility of the government to push for good governance. And even you. You all have complaints, like, “Sir, such-and-such happened when I got off at the airport...” “We went to get a visa, but I don’t know...” I may live thousands of miles away from you, but I still know your pain! I know your pain. And that’s why, my brothers and sisters, it’s our job that we have to make development a mass revolution.

And when I talk about a mass revolution, we know the history of our nation. The British used to rule India. Before that, India was ruled by others. For around 1,200 years, India was a slave. But if you look at our history, at every point, there was some or the other great soul who came and sacrificed his life for the nation.

Take the names of all the Sikh gurus; all of them made such sacrifices for the nation. Such sacrifices! Look at Bhagat Singh’s sacrifice! Even today, the Sikh soldiers at our border are ready to lay down their lives for this nation. In every generation, great men have made sacrifices for this nation. But they would sacrifice themselves, be led to the gallows, or become a target of the bullets of foreign invaders, and perish. But then another would come and do something and perish again. And then a third would come. The numbers of those who died would never decrease. But each would come alone, fight with all he had for his nation, and die in the process. He would get his few friends and start the revolution.

But what did Mahatma Gandhi do? He made freedom a mass revolution! If someone wears khadi,[2] he wears it for freedom. If someone teaches a young kid, it’s also for freedom. If someone feeds somebody who’s hungry, it’s for freedom. If someone sweeps or cleans, it’s for freedom. He gave every person a direction and a mission based on his own capabilities. And every Indian started feeling that they too are fighting for freedom. This was the biggest contribution of Mahatma Gandhi. In the fight for freedom, to give to all of India and in every Indian’s heart, the pride of contributing to the nation; he gave a new strength to India’s revolution by doing this.

Brothers and sisters, freedom was a mass revolution; just like that, development has to be a mass revolution. India’s 1.25 billion people should feel that if they are teaching children, they are actually serving the nation and doing a job better than the PM of India. A public worker, while cleaning, does a good job. Why? Because he is working for the pride of his nation and feels that there shouldn’t be garbage and pollution around; and that is a service to the nation. A doctor who serves a poor, sick family does so with full dedication, because even that poor family’s life is valuable to the nation. So that doctor too is serving the nation.

My work is to make development a mass revolution and to make 1.25 billion citizen a part of this mass revolution. And whoever does whatever for work, does so for the nation and with the nation’s pride, and never does anything that will hurt the nation. This feeling awakens me!

And I’m confident that once more, that day will come when every Indian in every corner will feel that we have to take the country forward. And the strength of the 1.25 billion people is my strength and confidence on which we will make 21st Century the century for India.

Our Youth Will Lead the World

By 2020, there will be a global demand for a large workforce, because in other nations by then, they won’t have any youth, just old people. They won’t have anyone available for work! We will by then be able to supply a workforce for the whole world. Today there is a high demand in the nursing sector globally, so if we send trained nurses to work in those nations; it’s a big help for them. Today there is a high demand for teachers globally. It’s hard to find math and science teachers. Can’t India export a teacher? A country with such a quantity of youth, by increasing their quality and employing them worldwide, India has the capability of influencing and leading the world.

The world will have to acknowledge India’s youth talent, my brothers and sisters! All of you have done the same since you came to America, you’ve made such progress! And don’t we eat the same grain and drink the same water as you all? So if you can do it, why can’t we do it? Of course we can.

Look at the nation’s talent! In Ahmedabad, if you wish to travel one kilometer in an auto-rickshaw, it costs around 10 rupees. Look at India’s talent: We travelled 650 million kilometers to Mars! And it was all with indigenous technology, made in small workshops, which was assimilated to make this happen. In Ahmedabad, if you wish to travel one kilometer in an auto-rickshaw, it costs around 10 rupees. In our journey to Mars, we only spent 7 rupees per km! If this doesn’t show the talent and strength of our youth, then what does?

Not only this: India is the world’s first nation that succeeded in reaching Mars on its first attempt. So America and India are not only talking with each other on Earth, but also on Mars now. On Sept. 22, America reached Mars. On Sept. 24, India was there too. Not only this: India reached Mars at a budget less than a Hollywood film’s budget!

A nation with such strength and talent can achieve new heights, and for that purpose, we have taken up a task which is skill development. If our youth has the talent and has the opportunity to work, then it has the power to create a modern India.

So that’s why we have given skill development a priority. We have even created a separate ministry for it, since we formed the new government. And we are going to involve other nations and their experiences in this project too. We are going to invite them to join us in skill development. We are going to invite the world’s leading universities involved in skill development to join us. We want a specific kind of skill development, which produces two kinds of results: 1) skill development that creates people who can become job creators; 2) to create a highly skilled youth, which matches all expectations for such a job.

A few years back in India, we nationalized our banking system. This was done with the purpose that every poor and backward person should benefit from India’s large financial and economic system. But despite that, there are today more than 50% people in India who don’t have a bank account; and because of that, they are forced to take a loan from a money lender. And we all know how these loan sharks rob such poor people. My friends from the Bohra Samaj[3] sitting here know it well. The poor person, not being able to pay back the loan, comes to a point where under the heavy debt burden, he commits suicide.

Shouldn’t the nation’s money benefit these poor? Is the national currency only for the rich?

So that’s why we launched the “PM Jan Dhan” [public banking] plan as soon as we came into office. And I can say with great pride today: What’s the proof of a government working? In just two weeks, the bank employees went house to house to open bank accounts for around 40 million people. Have you ever thought a bank employee would be coming to your home? A postal worker comes, but a bank employee never does.

Things can change, people can be motivated! And results can be obtained. And we had said that you could open a bank account with a zero balance—but look at our citizens’ confidence and honesty, they deposited 15 million rupees in the bank, despite what Modi said! This is living proof of how even a poor person can participate and wants to participate in his country’s progress.

‘Make in India’

India has great potential. I have just launched another program and invite the world and all of you sitting here to join me. And my program is “Make in India.” If today you need human resources, effective governance, and low-cost production, then there is no better place than India. People would earlier come to make in India, but used to say, “There is so much red tape and bureaucracy.” So today, I tell you: Those days are over. Everything will be accessible online, with an online “Make in India” campaign, which will allow you to stay in touch with your government. You can now share your application, opinions, suggestions, and thoughts with the Indian government online. And the youth here who want to do something for their country, the older people who were the first Indian generation to settle in America, I request them to go to my website—mygov.in—and share their suggestions and thoughts with me there. Come join me!

We all wish to change India’s destiny. Using technology, we can display and preach our strength to everyone. And we can also use technology to make contributions to our progress.

The governments before us used to boast about the many, many laws they made. You know, that’s all you heard in the elections. I’ve started a different line of work. I’ve taken up the mandate of eliminating all the useless laws that were made in the past. If any common man would enter this web of old, archaic laws, he would never be able to get out. I’ve established a special committee of people who are tasked with removing such laws. And if even one law can be eliminated, I’ll be the happiest man. Good governance should be easy, effective, and should be for the benefit and progress of the people of the country.

You must have read in the newspapers that these days in Delhi, government officials get to work on time. Now tell me, is this news? But this was the news in our country, as if it was a big deal! Such news items would get me very upset. Isn’t going to work on time a responsibility? Is this news? But such was the situation.

I’ve started a program: a program of cleanliness. I know all of you must love it. People usually think a PM should do big things, and not be involved in such petty things as cleanliness, but I’ve decided to do this. I’ve decided to build toilets. Sometimes people ask me, “Modiji, tell us about a big vision.” I tell them, “Look brother, I’ve come here by selling tea.”

I am a very small man. a very common man. My childhood was an average one. And since I’m a common man, that’s why I enjoy doing common things for the common people. But since I’m common, I also wish to do great things for the common man.

Now look at the state of the Ganges. Don’t all of you here desire to take your parents one day to the Ganges for the holy bath? It’s everyone’s desire. But then when you read how polluted the Ganges is, you think otherwise. Tell me brothers, shouldn’t our Ganges be pure and clean? [The crowd cheers, “Yes!”] Shouldn’t every Indian participate in cleaning up the Ganges? [“Yes!”]. Won’t you people here help me clean the Ganges? [“Yes!”] You promise? [“Yes!”]

Brothers and sisters, we have spent tens of millions of rupees so far on this issue. When I took up this task, people used to chide me and say, “Modiji, why are you bothering with such unsolvable issues?” If my job was to only solve easy problems, people would never have elected me the PM of India. They have elected me to solve difficult problems. And I share the devotion my 1.25 billion people have towards the Ganges.

And cleaning the Ganges isn’t just a matter of devotion and faith. It’s fully related to the global climate and environmental crisis. More than that, if you look along the banks of the Ganges in states like Uttarakhand or Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or West Bengal, around 40% of the population there depends on the Mother Ganga for their livelihood. If the Ganges becomes clean and pure again, then those 40% people, which include farmers, small manufacturers, will benefit from it. So from that standpoint, it’s a big economic agenda.

Repay Our Debt to Mahatma Gandhi

In 2019, it will be 150 years to Mahatma Gandhi’s birth. Mahatma Gandhi gave us freedom. What did we give Mahatma Gandhi? Tell me, shouldn’t every Indian ask that question to himself or not? [“Yes!”] The Gandhi that gave us freedom, what did we give back to that Gandhi? If you happen to meet Gandhi one day, will you be able to answer him?

And that’s why, by 2019, let all Indians imagine that by then, [we will have] all the things that were dear to Gandhi. Which were, first, India’s freedom; and second, cleanliness. Gandhiji never compromised on cleanliness. He was very stubborn about it.

Again, Gandhiji gave us freedom. He freed Mother India from the chains of slavery. Can’t we free Mother India from pollution? In 2019, when we celebrate 150 years since Gandhiji’s birth, can’t we give a gift of a clean India for the feet of Gandhi? The great soul that gave us freedom, can’t we give that great soul this in return? [“Yes!”] Yes or no? [“Yes!”] If 1.25 billion people of India decide not to cause pollution, then no external force in the world can make India dirty and filthy.

In 2022, we will celebrate 75 years of Indian Independence. In Indian culture, a 75th birthday is a big deal and an occasion to celebrate. So how should we celebrate India’s 75th birthday? Why don’t we start preparing for it now?

I have a dream. And with your blessings, that dream will be fulfilled: that by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of independence, by then there shouldn’t be a single family in India that doesn’t have its own home to live in. These are small things and issues I’m sharing with you, but it’s these small issues that are going to change India’s destiny. And let’s work together in changing its destiny.

Next year, 2015, is an important year. All of you here are non-resident Indians. Just like you, there was a M.K. Gandhi who was a non-resident Indian. Mahatma Gandhi came back to India in January 1915. January 2015 will be 100 years since Gandhi returned to India. The 8th and 9th of January in India are celebrated to commemorate non-resident Indians. Many of you come to participate in that. This time, in 2015, it will be celebrated in Ahmedabad, because it’s going to be a century since Mahatma Gandhi returned to India. Mahatma Gandhi went abroad, became a barrister, became financially affluent, but chose instead to live and work for India. So my prayer to all of you is to come and pay back the debt you owe to your motherland and country by helping it progress.

Addressed to Indians in America

There are some things I want to share with you. Since I’ve become a PM, there are a few things that I’ve come to hear, and keeping those in mind, I want to say a few things.

First, PIO [Person of Indian Origin] card holders have lots of visa issues. I’ve decided that all PIO card holders will be given lifetime visas. Happy? [“Yes!”]

Second, those non-resident Indians who stay in India for a long time have to go to the police station often. We have decided that they will no longer have to go to the police station. I’ve also come to hear that because of the difference in the PIO and OCI [Overseas Citizenship of India] schemes, there are many difficulties that Indians abroad have to face. Especially, when the spouse isn’t of Indian origin, there are added difficulties. If anyone gets married here, he’s in deep trouble! My friends, I have some good news for you. Within a few months, we will merge the PIO and OCI schemes into a single scheme. We will introduce a new, simplified scheme within a few months.

The third thing is.... U.S. Nationals who want to come work in India will get long-term visa.

Fourth, we will provide Electronic Travel Authorization and Visa on Arrival for American tourists coming to India, to make it easier for them. To facilitate these things quickly—because there is a large number of Indians in the USA who travel very frequently to India, causing a load on the small outsourcing visa services—we have decided to increase the number of outsourcing services, to make it easier and faster for you to obtain a visa.

So these are the things I’ve decided on, after long-term contemplation on your problems, before coming here.

For you to come here in such large numbers on the pious festival of Navrati—and I [looking at his watch] am talking and talking—I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

You’ve given me a lot of love. Perhaps... I’ve noticed at least since the past 15 years. perhaps no other Indian leader has received such affection. I’m very grateful to you all, and I promise to repay this debt. I will repay this debt by creating the India of your dreams. Let’s work together to serve Mother India. Let’s do what we can for our fellow Indians, for our country. The country where we were born and raised, the country that taught us to be what we are today. With this desire, I want to once again thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Bharat Mata Ki... [The crowd yells, “... Jai!’]
Bharat Mata Ki... [“... Jai!”]
Clench both your fists and repeat again! I’m the one on fasts ... not you!
Bharat Mata Ki... [“... Jai!”]
Bharat Mata Ki... [“... Jai!”]
Bharat Mata Ki... [“... Jai!”]

Thank you!

Translated from Hindi by Avneet Thapar. “Jai Hind.”

भारत माता की 'जय'!

अमेरिका में बसे हुए मेरे प्‍यारे भाईयों और बहनों!

आज इस समारोह में विशेष रूप से उपस्थित अमेरिका की राजनीति के सभी श्रेष्‍ठ महानुभाव और भारत में भी टीवी और इंटरनेट के माध्‍यम से कार्यक्रम को देख रहे सभी भाईयों-बहनों!

आज कई लोग इस सभागृह में पहुंच नहीं पाएं है, वो बाहर खड़े हैं, उनका भी मैं स्‍मरण करता हूं। आप सब को नवरात्रि की बहुत-बहुत शुभकामनाएं!

नवरात्रि का पर्व, ये शक्ति उपासना का पर्व है। नवरात्रि का पर्व शुद्धिकरण का पर्व है। नवरात्रि का पर्व समर्पण भाव को अधिक तीव्र बनाने का पर्व है। ऐसे पावन पर्व पर मुझे आप सबसे मिलने का अवसर मिला है, मैं बहुत भाग्‍यशाली हूं कि मेरे देशवासी, जिन्‍होंने हजारों मील दूर यहां रहकर के भारत की इज्‍जत को बढ़ाया है। भारत की आन-बान-शान को बढ़ाया है। वरना एक जमाना था, हमारे देश को सांप-सपेरों वालों का देश माना जाता था। अगर आप न होते, हमारे देश की युवा पीढ़ी न होती, Information Technology के क्षेत्र में आप लोगों ने जो कमाल करके दिखाया है, वो न होता तो आज भी दुनिया शायद हमें सांप-सपेरों का ही देश मानती।

मैं कुछ वर्ष पहले ताइवान गया, तब तो मैं मुख्‍यमंत्री नहीं था, प्रधानमंत्री नहीं था। एक Interpreter मेरे साथ था। कुछ दिन साथ रहने के बाद परिचय हो गया। एक दिन वो मुझे पूछता है कि आपको अगर बुरा न लगे तो मैं आपको एक सवाल पूछना चाहता हूं। मैंने कहा मुझे बुरा नहीं लगेगा, पूछिए क्‍या पूछना चाहते हैं। उसने बोला, आपको बुरा नहीं लगेगा न! मैंने कहा नहीं लगेगा, पूछिए क्‍या पूछना चाहते हैं। फिर भी वो झिझक रहा था। फिर उसने कहा कि मैंने सुना है कि भारत में तो काला जादू होता है, Black Magic होता है। सांप-सपेरे का देश है। लोग सांप को ही खेल करते रहते हैं, यही है क्‍या? मैंने कहा नहीं! हमारे देश का अब बहुत Devaluation हो गया है। मैंने कहा हमारे पूर्वज तो सांप के साथ खेलते थे, लेकिन हम Mouse के साथ खेलते हैं। हमारे नौजवान Mouse को घुमाते हैं, सारी दुनिया को डुलाते हैं।

आप सबने अपने व्‍यवहार के द्वारा, अपने संस्‍कारों के द्वारा, अपनी क्षमता के द्वारा अमेरिका के अंदर बहुत इज्‍जत कमाई है। आपके माध्‍यम से, न सिर्फ अमेरिका में, बल्कि अमेरिका में बसने वाले और देशों के लोगों के कारण भी, दुनिया में भी भारत के लिए एक सकारात्‍मक पहचान बनाने में आपकी बहुत बड़ी अहम भूमिका रही है। भारत में अभी-अभी चुनाव हुए। आपमें से बहुत लोग होंगे जिनको चुनाव में मतदान करने का सौभाग्‍य नहीं मिला। लेकिन आप सभी होंगे, जिस दिन नतीजे आए होंगे, आप सोये नहीं होंगे।

यहां एक भी व्‍यक्ति ऐसा नहीं होगा जो उस रात सो पाया होगा। जितना जश्‍न हिन्‍दुस्‍तान मना रहा था, उससे भी कई गुणा ज्‍यादा जश्‍न दुनिया भर में फैला हुआ भारतीय समाज मना रहा था। आपमें से बहुत सारे लोग भारत के चुनाव अभियान के साथ जुड़े थे, वो आए थे, अपना समय दिया था। मैं उनको मिल कर Thanks भी नहीं कह पाया था। आज, मैं सबको Thanks कहता हूं, रूबरू आकर कहता हूं कि आप आए, हिन्‍दुस्‍तान के गांवों में महीनों तक रहे। भारत के लोकतंत्र में एक अभूतपूर्व विजय की घटना घटी। इसे चरितार्थ करने में आपका योगदान रहा।

30 साल के बाद! आप लोग 30 साल के बाद से परिचित हैं। 30 साल के बाद भारत में पूर्ण बहुमत के साथ सरकार बनी। ये चुनाव नतीजे, हिन्‍दुस्‍तान के किसी Political पंडित के गले ये परिणाम नहीं उतरते थे। Opinion Makers भी Opinion बनाने में असफल रहे। हिन्‍दुस्‍तान के गांव, गरीब, अनपढ़ लोगों ने Opinion Maker का Opinion बना दिया। गरीब से गरीब व्‍यक्ति की भी लोकतंत्र में कितनी निष्‍ठा है, लोकतंत्र में उसकी कितनी अहमियत है, इसका उदाहरण, ये भारत के चुनाव ने बताया है। लेकिन चुनाव जीतना, वो सिर्फ पद ग्रहण नहीं होता। चुनाव जीतना, वो किसी कुर्सी पर विराजने का कार्यक्रम नहीं होता। चुनाव जीतना, एक जिम्‍मेदारी होती है।

जब से मैंने इस कार्य का दायित्‍व संभाला है, 15 मिनट भी vacation नहीं लिया। हम एक भी vacation नहीं लेंगे और मैं आपको विश्‍वास दिलाता हूं। हिंदुस्‍तान में आपने मुझे जो दायित्‍व दिया है, देशवासियों ने जो दायित्‍व दिया है, हम ऐसा कभी कुछ भी नहीं करेंगे, जिनके कारण आपको नीचा देखने की नौबत आए। हमारे देश में एक ऐसा उमंग और उत्‍साह का माहौल है। देश के लोग बदलाव चाहते हैं। देश बदलाव चाहता है। विश्‍व जिस प्रकार से आर्थिक गतिविधियों से आगे बढ़ रहा है, भारत का गरीब से गरीब व्‍यक्ति भी कहने लगा है, कब तक ऐसे जियेंगे। बदलाव चाहता है, और मेरे सारे देशवासियों, मैं आपको विश्‍वास दिलाता हूं, भारत की आर्थिक स्थिति को बदलने में, भारत के सामाजिक जीवन में सामर्थ देने में, भारत के व्‍यक्तिगत जीवन में quality of life के लिए आपने जिस सरकार को चुनाव है, वह कोई कमी रखेगी।

मैं इस बात को भली-भांति जानता हूं कि यहां बैठे हुए आप सब के मन में भी भारत के लिए वर्तमान सरकार से अनेक-अनेक अपेक्षाएं हैं। भारत के नागरिकों के मन में भी भारत के लिए वर्तमान सरकार से अनेक-अनेक अपेक्षाएं हैं। लेकिन मैं विश्‍वास से कह सकता हूं, ये सरकार अपने कार्यकाल के दरम्यान जन सामान्‍य की आशा-आकांक्षाओं को पूर्ण करने में शत-प्रतिशत सफल होगी।

जब मैं गुजरात का मुख्‍यमंत्री था तो एक बार मैंने एक कार्यक्रम में कहा था, मैंने कहा- जिसको हिंदुस्‍तान वापस आना है, जल्‍दी आइए, देर मत कीजिए।तब मुझे पता नहीं था कि ये दायित्‍व मेरे जिम्‍मे आपने वाला है लेकिन अब यहां रहने वाला हर व्‍यक्ति, कितने ही सालों से अमेरिका में बसा हो अब उसको भी लगने लगा है, एक पैर तो हिंदुस्‍तान में रखना ही चाहिए। मेरे प्‍यारे देशवासियों, सारा विश्‍व इस बात में convince है कि 21वीं सदी एशिया की सदी हैं। अमेरिका के भी गणमान्‍य राजनेताओं ने पब्लिकली ये कहा है कि 21वीं सदी, कोई कहता है एशिया की सदी है, कोई कहता है हिंदुस्‍तान की सदी है।

ऐसे ही नहीं कहा जाता है, भारत के पास वो सामर्थ्‍य है, वो संभावनाएं है, और अब संजोग भी है। इसलिए आप कल्‍पना कीजिए, आज हिंदुस्‍तान दुनिया का सबसे नौजवान देश है। दुनिया की सबसे पुरातन संस्‍कृति वाला देश और दुनिया का सबसे नौजवान देश। एक ऐसा अद्भुत मिलन है, ऐसा अद्भुत संयोग पैदा हुआ है, आज भारत में 65% population 35 age group से नीचे है। 35 से कम आयु के 65% जिस देश के पास नौजवान हो, जिसके पास ऐसी सामर्थ्‍यवान भुजाएं हों, जिसकी अंगुलियों में कंप्‍यूटर के माध्‍यम से दुनिया से जुड़ने की ताकत पड़ी हो, जिस देश का नौजवान अपने सामर्थ से अपना भविष्‍य बनाने के लिए कृत संकल्‍प हो, उस देश को पीछे मुड़कर के देखने की आवश्‍यकता नहीं है।

निराशा का कोई काम नहीं है साथियों। मैं बहुत विश्‍वास के साथ कहता हूं, ये देश बहुत तेज गति से आगे बढ़ने वाला है। इन नौजवानों के सामर्थ से आगे बढ़ने वाला है। भारत के पास तीन ऐसी चीजें हैं आज जो दुनिया के किसी भी देश के पास नहीं है। लेकिन हमारा दायित्‍व बनता है कि हमारी इन तीन शक्तियों को हम पहचानें। हमारी इन तीन शक्तियों को विश्‍व के सामने प्रस्‍तुत करें। हमारी इन तीन शक्तियों को एक-दूसरे के साथ जोड़कर के mobilise करें, तीव्र गति से आगे बढ़े।

वो तीन चीजें हैं, जब सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों ने आर्शीवाद दे दिया तो वो ईश्‍वर का ही आर्शीवाद होता है। जनता जनार्दन ईश्‍वर का रूप होता है। जनता जनार्दन वो भगवान का रूप होता है और जब जनता जनार्दन का आर्शीवाद होता है तो वह स्‍वयं परमात्‍मा का आर्शीवाद होता है। वो तीन चीजें, जिसके लिए भारत गर्व कर सकता है और जिसके आधार पर भारत आगे बढ़ सकता है।

एक डेमोक्रेसी, लोकतंत्र। ये हमारी सबसे बड़ी ताकत है, सबसे बड़ी पूंजी है। मैं देख रहा था, जब चुनाव अभियान, मई महीने की भयंकर गर्मी। बदन पर कपड़े ना हो, ऐसा गरीब व्‍यक्ति भी जनसभाओं में सुनने के लिए पहुंचाता था, उस आशा के साथ पहुंचता था। यही लोकतंत्र है, जिस लोकतंत्र के माध्‍यम से आशा आकाक्षाओं को पूर्व करता है। भारत में लोकतंत्र सिर्फ व्‍यवस्‍था नहीं है। भारत में लोकतंत्र आस्‍था है। आस्‍था है, विश्‍वास है।

दूसरी ताकत है Demographic Dividend. जिस देश के पास 35 से कम उम्र के 65 प्रतिशत नौजवान हों, इससे बड़ा इस देश को और क्‍या चाहिए! इससे बड़ी क्‍या सम्‍पदा हो सकती है! और तीसरी बात, demand. पूरा विश्‍व भारत की तरफ नज़र कर रहा है। क्‍यों! क्‍योंकि उसे मालूम है सवा सौ करोड़ का देश है, बहुत बड़ा बाजार है, बहुत ज्‍यादा demand है। ये तीनों चीज़ें किसी एक देश के पास हो, ऐसा आज दुनिया में कहीं नहीं है। इसी सामर्थ्‍य के आधार पर, इसी शक्ति के भरोसे भारत नई ऊंचाईयों को पार करेगा, ये मेरा विश्‍वास है।

अमेरिका दुनिया का सबसे पुराना लोकतंत्र है। भारत दुनिया का सबसे बड़ा लोकतंत्र है। सारी दुनिया के लोग अमेरिका में आ करके बसे हैं और भारत के लोग सारी दुनिया में जा करके बसे हैं। दुनिया का कोई कोना नहीं होगा जहां आपको भारतीय न मिले। अमेरिका का कोई शहर ऐसा नहीं है जहां दुनिया का कोई नागरिक न मिले। कितनी मिली-जुली बातें हैं! और इसलिए भाईयों-बहनों! भारत आने वाले दिनों में ……मेरा स्‍पष्‍ट मत रहा है कि सरकारें विकास नहीं कर पाती है। सरकार ज्‍यादा से ज्‍यादा अपनी स्‍कीम लागू कर सकती है। रोड बना लेगी, अस्‍पताल बना लेगी, स्‍कूल बना लेगी। उसकी बजट की सीमाएं होती हैं। विकास तब होता है जब जन-भागीदारी होती है। दुर्भाग्‍य से अब तक हमारे देश में सरकारों ने development का ठेका लिया था। हमने, development की जिम्‍मेदारी, मिलजुल कर सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासी और सरकार मिल करके करेंगे, ये रास्‍ता हमने अपनाया।

हमारे देश में एक और दिक्‍कत है.. और अगर देश को प्रगति करनी है तो सरकार का दायित्‍व बनता है- Good Governance. आप लोग भी.. आपकी क्‍या शिकायत होती होगी- यही न कि साहब, airport पर उतरे थे.. ऐसा हुआ; Visa लेने गए थे.. पता नहीं । भले ही मैं हज़ारों मील दूर रहता हूं आपसे, लेकिन आपके दर्द को भी भलीभांति जानता हूं। आपकी पीड़ा को मैं भलीभांति जानता हूं और इसलिए भाईयो-बहनों! हमारी ये कोशिश है कि हम विकास को एक जन-आंदोलन बनाएं और जब मैं विकास को जन-आंदोलन बनाने की बात कहता हूं….!

हम लोग आज़ादी के इतिहास से भलीभांति परिचित हैं। अंग्रेज़ लोग हमारे देश में शासन करते थे, उसके पहले कई लोगों ने हमारे देश पर शासन किया। करीब हज़ार 12 सौ साल तक हम गुलाम रहे, लेकिन अगर इतिहास देखेंगे, हर समय कोई न कोई ऐसा महापुरूष मिला है, जिसने देश के लिए बलिदान दिया है। आप सिक्‍ख परम्‍परा के सभी गुरूओं के नाम लो, एक के बाद एक! देश के लिए कितना बलिदान! भगत सिंह त‍क उस परम्‍परा को देखिए। आज भी सीमा पर हमारे सरदार देश के लिए जीने-मरने को तैयार होते हैं।

हर युग में, हर युग में महापुरूषों ने देश के लिए बलिदान दिए हैं। लेकिन! वो बलिदान देते थे, फांसी पर चढ़ जाते थे, विदेशियों की गोलियों का शिकार हो जाते थे। फिर कोई नया पैदा होता था, फिर वो कुछ करता था, फिर वो खत्‍म होता था, फिर कोई तीसरा पैदा होता था। मरने वालों की संख्‍या कम नहीं थी, लेकिन वो अकेला आता था देश के लिए जी-जान से लड़ जाता था, शहीद हो जाता था। पांच-पचास अपने यार-दोस्‍तों की टोली ले करके लड़ पड़ता था। लेकिन महात्‍मा गांधी जी ने क्‍या किया!

महात्‍मा गांधी जी ने आज़ादी को जन-आंदोलन बना दिया। कोई खादी पहनता है, तो आज़ादी के लिए पहनता है, कोई किसी बच्‍चे को पढ़ाता है तो आज़ादी के लिए पढ़ाता है, कोई किसी भूखे को खाना खिलाता है तो आज़ादी के लिए खिलाता है, कोई सफाई करता है, झाडू लगाता है तो आज़ादी के लिए। उन्‍होंने हर व्‍यक्ति को उसकी क्षमता के अनुसार, ये दिशा दी, ये सामर्थ्‍य दिया और हर हिन्‍दुस्‍तानी को लगने लगा कि मैं भी आज़ादी की लड़ाई लड़ रहा हूं। ये महात्‍मा गांधी का सबसे बड़ा contribution था।

आज़ादी की जंग में पूरे हिन्‍दुस्‍तान को, हर नागरिक को अपने काम के माध्‍यम से ही.. ये मैं देश के लिए करता हूं ये भाव जगा करके आज़ादी के आंदोलन को एक नई ताकत दी थी। भाईयों-बहनों! जिस प्रकार से आज़ादी का आंदोलन एक जन-आंदोलन था, वैसे ही विकास.. ये जन-आंदोलन बनना जरूरी है। हिन्‍दुस्‍तान के सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों को लगना चाहिए कि मैं बच्‍चों को अच्‍छी तरह शिक्षा देता हूं, मैं भले ही शिक्षक हूं, मैं देश की सेवा कर रहा हूं, मैं प्रधानमंत्री से भी अच्‍छा काम कर रहा हूं। एक सफाई करने वाला सफाई कर्मचारी होगा, वो अच्‍छी सफाई करता है, क्‍यों! क्योंकि मेरे देश के शान बान के लिए काम करता हूं। यहां गंदगी नहीं होनी चाहिए। यह देश सेवा होगी। एक डाक्‍टर भी गरीब परिवार के मरीज की सेवा करेगा, और सेवाभाव से करेगा। गरीब की जिंदगी भी मूल्‍यवान होती है और वह डॉक्‍टर भी राष्‍ट्रभक्ति के लिए काम करता है।

मेरी कोशिश यह है कि विकास एक जन आंदोलन बने। सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासी, ये विकास के जन आंदोलन का हिस्‍सा बने। और हर कोई, जो भी करता है, मैं देश के लिए करूं। मैं ऐसा कोई काम नहीं करूंगा, जिसके कारण मेरे देश को नुकसान हो, ये भाव मुझे जगाना है। और मुझे विश्‍वास है और मुझे विश्‍वास है कि फिर एक बार वो दिन आए। फिर एक बार माहौल बना है, हर कोने में हिन्दुस्तानी को लगता है कि अब देश को आगे ले जाना है। इसी सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों की इच्‍छाशक्ति, यही मेरा संबल है, यही मेरी ताकत है। इसी पर मेरा भरोसा है, जिसके कारण 21वीं सदी का नेतृत्‍व हिंदुस्‍तान के करने की पूरी संभावना है।

हमारे नौजवान, आने वाले दिनों में, आप लोग जो पढ़ते होंगे, उनको पता होगा, 2020 के समय आते-आते दुनिया में इतनी बड़ी मात्रा में वर्ककोर्स की जरूरत पड़ने वाली है। इनके यहां सब बूढ़े-बूढ़े सब लोग होंगे। दुनिया के पास काम करने वाले लोग नहीं होंगे। हम पूरी दुनिया को workforce supply कर पाएंगे। आज पूरे विश्‍व को नर्सिंग क्षेत्र में इतनी मांग है। अगर भारत से हम नर्सिंग की training करके दुनिया में भेजें तो उनके लिए बहुत बड़ा उपकार है। आज विश्‍व को teachers की मांग है। Maths और Science के teachers नहीं मिलते। क्‍या भारत ये teachers export नहीं कर सकता है। जिस देश के पास नौजवान हो, वह नौजवानों की क्षमता बढ़ा करके, विश्‍व में जिस प्रकार के manpower की जरूरत है, भारत अपनी युवा शक्ति के माध्‍यम से दुनिया में छा जाने की ताकत रखता है। दुनिया में जगह बनाने की ताकत रखता है।

भारत के नौजवानों का talent, दुनिया को उसका लोहा मानना पड़ेगा मेरे भाइयों-बहनों। आप लोगों ने यहां आकर के क्‍या कमाल नहीं किया है। आखिरकर जो अनाज खाकर के आप आए हैं, जो पानी पीकर के आप आए हैं, वही तो अनाज-पानी हम भी तो खा रहे हैं। अगर आप कर सकते हैं तो हम क्‍यों नहीं कर सकते? हम भी कर सकते हैं। talent देखिए इस देश की।

आपको अहमदाबाद में अगर एक किलोमीटर ऑटो रिक्‍शा में जाना है तो करीब 10 रुपये खर्च होते हैं। एक किलोमीटर अगर ऑटो रिक्‍शा में जाना है तो 10 रुपए खर्च होते हैं। भारत के talent का कमाल देखिए 650 million किलोमीटर, 65 करोड़ किलोमीटर Mars की यात्रा की हमने और सारा Indigenous, छोटे-छोटे कारखानों में पुर्जें बने थे, उसको इकट्ठा करके Mars का प्रयोग किया गया। अहमदाबाद में 1 किलोमीटर ऑटो रिक्‍शा में जाना है तो 10 रुपये लगते हैं, हमें मार्स पर पहुंचने में सिर्फ 7 रुपये लगे एक किलोमीटर पर। 7 रुपये में 1 किलोमीटर, यह हमारी talent नहीं है तो क्‍या है। यह हमारे नौजवानों का सामर्थ्‍य नहीं है तो क्‍या है? इतना ही नहीं, दुनिया में हिंदुस्‍तान पहला देश है जो पहले ही प्रयास में Mars पर पहुंचने में सफल हुआ है।

अमेरिका और भारत सिर्फ नीचे ही बात कर रहे हैं, ऐसा नहीं है, Mars में भी बात कर रहे हैं। 22 तारीख को अमेरिका पहुंचा, 24 को हम पहुंच गए और इतना ही नहीं, हॉलीवुड की फिल्‍म बनाने का जितना बजट होता है, उससे कम बजट में Mars पर पहुंच गया।

जिसके पास ये talent हो, जिस देश के पास ये सामर्थ्‍य हो, वह देश कई नई ऊंचाइयों को पार कर सकता है और उसको पार करने के लिए हमने एक बीड़ा उठाया है, Skill Development। हमारे नौजवानों में, उसके हाथ में हुनर हो, काम करने का अवसर हो, तो एक आधुनिक हिंदुस्‍तान खड़ा करने की उसकी ताकत होती है। इसलिए Skill Development पर हमने बल दिया है। नई सरकार बनने के बाद Skill Development के लिए अलग ministry बना दी गई है। और पूरी शक्ति और हम इसमें दुनिया के देशों के अनुभव को भी share करने वाले हैं। हम उनको निमंत्रण देने वाले है, आइए, Skill Development में हमारे साथ जुडि़ये। विश्‍व की Skill Universities हैं, आए, हमारे साथ जुड़े। हम इस प्रकार का Skill Development करना चाहते हैं, जिसमें हमारे दो इरादे है। एक वो Skill Development जो लोग तैयार होकर के Job Creator बने, दूसरा वो जिनकी Job Creator बनने की संभावना नहीं है, पर Job पाने के लिए पहली पसंद में पसंद हो जाए, उस प्रकार का वो नौजवान तैयार हो।

हमारे यहां कुछ वर्षों पहले बैंकों का राष्‍ट्रीयकरण हुआ था, Nationalisation हुआ था बैंकों का। इस इरादे से हुआ था कि गरीब से गरीब व्‍यक्ति को, भारत की जो मुख्‍य धारा है आर्थिक, बैंकिंग क्षेत्र, Financial क्षेत्र, उसका उन्‍हें सदभाग्‍य मिला और बहुत बड़ा राजनीतिक एजेंडा बन गया था। जो लोग 70’s के इतिहास के कालखंड को जानते होंगे, उनको मालूम होगा। देखिए हुआ क्‍या, इतनी सारी बैंक होने के बाद भी भारत में 50% परिवार ऐसे हैं, जिनका बेचारों को बैंक में खाता ही नहीं है और उसके कारण वह साहूकार से ब्‍याज पर पैसे लेता है। गरीब आदमी को साहूकार कैसे लूटता है, आपको मालूम है।

मेरे गौरा समाज के लोग यहां बैठे है, उनको पता है। क्‍या सरकारी खजाना गरीबों की भलाई के लिए नहीं उपयोग होना चाहिए? क्‍या सरकारी खजाना सिर्फ अमीरों के लिए होना चाहिए। इसलिए हमने एक आते ही प्रधानमंत्री जनधन योजना को लांच किया और मैं आज बड़े गर्व के साथ कहता हूं। सरकार चलती है, इसका सबूत क्‍या है? सिर्फ दो सप्‍ताह के भीतर भीतर 4 करोड़ परिवारों के खाते खोलने में ये बैंक वाले घर-घर गए थे। आपने कभी सोचा है कि बैंक वाला आपके घर आए। पोस्‍ट वाला तो आता है बेचारा, बैंक वाला कभी नहीं आता है। स्थिति बदली जा सकती है, लोगों को Motivate किया जा सकता है और परिणाम प्राप्‍त किया जा सकता है।

हमने यह कहा था कि zero-balance से account खोला जाएगा। लेकिन मेरे देश के नागरिकों की ईमानदारी देखिए! मोदी ने भले ही कहा कि जीरो बैलेंस से अकांउट खोलूंगा लेकिन इन नागरिकों ने 15 सौ करोड़ रुपया बैंक में जमा करवाया। अब मुद्दा इस बात का है कि गरीब से गरीब व्‍यक्ति भी देश के विकास में अपनी भागीदारी को किस प्रकार से करता है उसका ये जीता-जागता उदाहरण है। यही चीज़ें हैं जो बदलाव लाती है।

भारत के पास बहुत संभावनाएं हैं। मैंने अभी एक कार्यक्रम launch किया है और पूरे विश्‍व को निमंत्रण देता हूं, मैं यहां बैठे हुए आपको भी निमंत्रण देता हूं। मेरा निमंत्रण इस बात के लिए है- Make In India. अगर आज, आपको Human Recourses चाहिए, आपको Effective Governance चाहिए, अगर आपको Low Cost Production चाहिए तो भारत से बड़ी कोई अवसर की जगह नहीं हो सकती भाईयों! हम इस पर बल दे रहे हैं और ‘Make in India’ के लिए…..!

आखिरकार बाहर से आते समय लोग क्‍या कहते है.. कि साहब, आते तो हैं लेकिन सरकार में इतने धक्‍के खाने पड़ते हैं, इधर जाएं, उधर जाएं। अब मैं आपको कहता हूं- वो दिन चले गए। Online सारी व्‍यवस्‍था है और इस ‘Make In India’ Campaign से तो आप अपने मोबाइल फोन से सरकार के साथ जुड़ सकते हैं, यहां तक उसको Develop किया है। आप अपना application, अपनी बातें, अपनी requirement मोबाइल फोन के जरिए भारत सरकार को दे सकते है।

यहां जो नौजवान हैं, जो देश के लिए कुछ करना चाहते हैं, यहां जो पहली पीढ़ी के लोग हैं, जो बुर्जुग लोग हैं, जिनके मन में है कि देश के लिए कुछ करना है उनसे मैं आग्रह करता हूं कि मेरी एक Website है- www.mygov.in उसमें मैंने आपके सुझावों के लिए, आप अगर जुड़ना चाहते हैं, उसके लिए बहुत अच्‍छी व्‍यवस्‍था रखी है। मैं चाहता हूं कि आज इसको आज, यहां से जाने के बाद आप चेक किजिए और देखिए कि आप कहां मेरे साथ जुड़ सकते हैं। आप आईये। भारत का भाग्‍य बदलने के लिए हम सब की इच्‍छा है। आप उसके साथ जुडि़ए। Technology का सर्वाधिक प्रयोग करके हम अपनी ताकत का परिचय कर सकते हैं, हम अपनी ताकत का Contribution भी कर सकते हैं।

‘Make in India’, ease of business. हमारे यहां पहली जो सरकारें थी वे इस बात का गर्व करती थीं कि हमने ये कानून बनाया, हमने वो कानून बनाया, हमने फलाना कानून बनाया, हमने ढिकाना कानून बनाया। आपने पूरे चुनाव के Campaign में देखा होगा, यही बातें चलती थीं। हमने ये कानून बनाया, हमने वो कानून बनाया। मैंने काम दूसरा शुरू किया है। मैंने, कानून जितने पुराने हैं, बेकार कानून हैं, सबको खत्‍म करने का काम शुरू किया है। इतने out-dated कानून! ऐसा कानूनों का जाल! कोई भी व्‍यक्ति बेचारा एक बार अंदर गया तो बाहर नहीं निकल सकता। मैंने Specially Expert लोगों की कमेटी बनाई है, उनको कहा है- निकालो! अगर हर दिन एक कानून मैं खत्‍म कर सकता हू्ं तो मुझे सबसे ज्‍यादा आनंद होगा।

अगर Good Governance की बात मैं बात करता हूं तो Governance easy हो, effective हो और Governance जन-सामान्‍य की आशाओं, आकांक्षाओं की पूर्ति लिए होना चाहिए, उस पर हम बल दे रहे हैं।

आपने अखबारों में पढ़ा होगा। अखबारों में छपता था कि आजकल दिल्‍ली में सरकारी अफसर समय पर दफ्तर पहुंचते हैं। अब मुझे बताइये भइया, कि ये कोई न्‍यूज़ है क्‍या! लेकिन हमारे देश में ये खबर थी सरकारी अफसर समय पर दफ्तर जाते हैं। ये समाचार मुझे इतनी पीड़ा देते थे कि क्‍या समय पर जाना जिम्‍मेदारी नहीं है क्‍या? ये कोई खबर होती है क्‍या! लेकिन हालात ऐसे बने हुए थे।

इन दिनों मैंने एक अभियान चलाया है- सफाई का अभियान। मैं जानता हूं आपको, सबको ये प्रिय होगा। लोगों को लगेगा कि प्रधानमंत्री को तो कितने बड़े-बड़े काम करने चाहिए। ये काम कोई प्रधानमंत्री के करने के काम हैं! भाईयों मैं नहीं जानता कि करने वाले काम हैं या नहीं लेकिन मैंने तय किया है कि टॉयलेट बनाने का काम करुंगा।

कभी-कभी लोग मुझसे पूछते हैं- मोदी जी बड़ा vision बताओ ना! बड़ा vision! मैंने उनको कहा देखिए, मैं चाय बेचते-बेचते यहां आया हूं। मैं एक बहुत ही छोटा इंसान हूं। मैं बहुत ही सामान्य इंसान हूं। मेरा बचपन भी ऐसा ही बीता है और छोटा हूं इसलिए मेरा मन भी छोटे-छोटे काम करने में लगता है। छोटे-छोटे लोगों के लिए काम करने में मेरा मन लगता है। लेकिन छोटा हूं इसलिए छोटे-छोटे लोगों के लिए बड़े-बड़े काम करने का इरादा रखता हूं।

अब देखिए हमारे देश में, गंगा.. आप मुझे बताइए आप में से कोई ऐसा होगा जिसके मन की यह इच्छा नहीं होगी कि अपने मां-बाप को कभी न कभी तो गंगा स्नान के लिए ले जाए। हर एक के मन की यह इच्छा रही होगी। लेकिन जब पढ़ता है कि गंगा इतनी मैली हो गई है, उसको लगता है कि……!

आप मुझे बताइए भैया, हमारी गंगा शुद्ध होनी चाहिए कि नहीं होनी चाहिए गंगा? गंगा साफ होनी चाहिए कि नहीं होनी चाहिए। सफाई में सारे देशवासियों को मदद करनी चाहिए कि नहीं करनी चाहिए। आप लोगों के भी गंगा सफाई में मेरी मदद करनी है कि नहीं करनी है। पक्का करोगो?

भाइयों-बहनों, हजारों करोड़ रुपए अब तक खर्च हो चुके हैं। मैंने जब ये बात उठाई तो लोग कहते हैं मोदी जी आप अपने आप को मार रहे हो। ऐसी चीजों को क्यों हाथ लगाते हो? अगर सरल चीजों को हाथ लगाना होता तो लोग मुझे प्रधानमंत्री नहीं बनाते। मुश्किल कार्यों को तो हाथ लगाने के लिए ही तो मुझे बनाया है। मेरी सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासियों की गंगा के प्रति जो आस्था है, उस आस्था में मेरी भी आस्था है और गंगा की सफाई, ये आस्था से जुड़ा हुआ विषय तक सीमित नहीं है।

आज दुनिया में climate को लेकर जितनी चिंता होती है, पर्यावरण को लेकर के जितनी चिंता होती है, उस दृष्टि से भी गंगा की सफाई आवश्यक है। इतना ही नहीं, गंगा के किनारे की जो आवस्था है, उत्तराखंड हो, उत्तर प्रदेश है, बिहार हो, बंगाल हो। करीब-करीब भारत की 40 प्रतिशत जनसंख्या की आर्थिक गतिविधि ये गंगा मैया पर निर्भर है। अगर वह गंगा फिर से प्राणवान बनती है, सामर्थवान बनती है, तो मेरे सारे 40 प्रतिशत जनसंख्या वहां का किसान होगा, वहां का कारीगर होगा, उनकी जिदंगी में बदलाव आएगा और इसलिए यह एक बहुत बड़ा economic agenda भी है ये।

150 वर्ष हो रहे हैं महात्मा गांधी को, 2019 में महात्मा गांधी की 150वीं जयंती आ रही है। महात्मा गांधी ने हमें आजादी दी, हमने महात्मा गांधी क्या दिया। मुझे बताइए, ये सवाल हमें, हर हिंदुस्तानी को पूछना चाहिए कि नहीं पूछना चाहिए। जिस गांधी ने हमें आजादी दी, उस गांधी को हमने क्या दिया। कभी गांधी मिल जाएंगे, जब पूछेंगे तो जवाब कुछ दे पाएंगे क्या? और इसलिए 2019 में जब महात्मा गांधी के 150 वर्ष पूरे हों, तब पूरा भारत ये संकल्प करे, हम महात्मा गांधी को जो सबसे प्रिय जो चीजें थी, वह दें।

एक उनको प्रिय था हिंदुस्तान की आजादी और दूसरा उनको प्रिय था सफाई। गांधी जी स्वच्छता में कभी Compromise नहीं करते थे। बड़े अडिग रहते थे। गांधीजी ने हमें आजादी दिलाई थी। भारत मां को गुलामी की जंजीरों से मुक्त किया। क्या भारत मां को गंदगी से मुक्त करना, यह हमारी जिम्मेवारी है या नहीं है। क्या हम 2019 में जब गांधीजी की 150 वीं जयंती आए, तब महात्मा गांधी के चरणों में स्वच्छ-साफ हिंदुस्तान उनके चरणों में दे सकते हैं कि नहीं दे सकते हैं? जिस महापुरुष ने हमें आजादी दी, उस महापुरुष को हम ये दे सकते हैं कि नहीं दे सकते हैं? देना चाहिए कि नहीं देना चाहिए? ये जिम्मेदारी उठानी चाहिए कि नहीं उठानी चाहिए? अगर एक बार सवा सौ करोड़ देशवासी तय कर लें कि मैं गंदगी नहीं करुंगा, तो दुनिया की कोई ताकत नहीं है जो हिंदुस्तान को गंदा कर सकती है।

सन 2022 में हमारी आजादी के 75 साल होंगे। हमारे यहां जब 75 साल होते हैं जीवन में, बड़ा महत्व होता है। भारत की परंपरा में 75 साल बड़े महत्वपूर्ण माने जाते हैं। आजादी के 75 साल कैसे मनाएं जाए। अभी से तैयारी क्यों न करें? हमारे मन में एक सपना है और आप सबके आशीर्वाद से वह सपना पूरा होगा। मेरे मन में सपना है, मेरे मन में सपना है कि 2022 में, जब भारत के 75 साल हो तब तक हमारे देश में कोई परिवार ऐसा न हो, जिसके पास रहने के लिए अपना घर न हो। ये ऐसी छोटी-छोटी बातें मैं आपसे बता रहा हूं, लेकिन यही छोटी-छोटी बातें हैं, जो भारत का भाग्य बदलने वाली हैं और भाग्य बदलने के काम में हम सब मिल कर के जुड़े हैं।

2015, अगला वर्ष, बड़ा महत्वपूर्ण वर्ष है। आप सब प्रवासी भारतीय हैं, क्योंकि आप भारत से बाहर आए हैं, आपकी तरह एक M K Gandhi भी थे, मोहनदास करमचंद गांधी। ये भी प्रवासी भारतीय थे। महात्मा गांधी जनवरी 1915 में भारत वापस आए थे। जनवरी 2015 गांधी के भारत आने के 100 साल हो रहे हैं। 8-9 जनवरी, हिंदुस्तान में प्रवासी भारतीय दिवस मनाया जाता है। आप में से कई लोग उसमें आते हैं। इस बार प्रवासी भारतीय दिवस अहमदाबाद में होने वाला है। महात्मा गांधी के भारत आने को शताब्दी हो रही है, इसलिए हर प्रवासी भारतीय, जो कि हिंदुस्तान से बाहर गया है…… महात्मा गांधी, विदेश गए, बैरिस्टर बने, सुख-वैभव की पूरी संभावनाएं थीं। लेकिन देश के लिए जीना पसंद किया।

मैं आपसे अनुरोध करता हूं, उन सबसे प्रेरणा लेकर के आइए, हम भी अपने वतन का, अपनी मातृभूमि का, जिस धरती पर जन्म लिया, उसका कर्ज चुकाने के लिए अपनी तरफ से कोई न कोई प्रयास करें। अपने हिसाब से कोई न कोई कोशिश करें।

कुछ बातें मुझे कहनी हैं आप लोगों से , प्रधानमंत्री बनने के बाद कुछ बातें मेरे मन में आई हैं, उसको ध्यान में रखते हुए कुछ बातें मैं कहना चाहता हूं। एक तो PIO card holder जो हैं, उनकी visa की कुछ समस्याएं हैं। हमने निर्णय लिया है, PIO card holder को आजीवन visa दिया जाएगा। खुश?

उससे भी आगे जो लंबे समय तक हिंदुस्तान रहते हैं, उनको पुलिस थाने जाना पड़ता है। अब उनको पुलिस थाने जाना नहीं पड़ेगा। उसी प्रकार से मुझे बताया गया कि PIO तथा OCI स्कीमों के प्रावधानों में फर्क होने के कारण भारतीय मूल के लोगों को कठिनाइयों का सामना करना पड़ता है। विशेषकर Spouse के भारतीय मूल के न होने पर, कठिनाई और बढ़ जाती है। किसी ने यहां शादी कर ली बेचारा मुसीबत में फंस जाता है। मेरे साथियों मैं आपको खुशखबरी देता हूं कि कुछ ही महीनों में हम PIO तथा OCI schemes मिलाकर के एक बना देते हैं। एक नई scheme, जो कठिनाइयां हैं उनको दूर करके एक नई स्‍कीम आने वाले कुछ ही महीनों में, उसको हम तैयार कर देंगे।

तीसरी बात है.. अभी इंतजार कीजिए, मैं बोल रहा हूं। अमेरिका में हमारे दूतावास और consulate, भारत में पर्यटन की इच्‍छा से आने वाले US Nationals के लिए हम long term visa प्रदान करेंगे। चौथी बात, बिना किसी कठिनाई के अमेरिकी टूरिस्‍ट भारत की यात्रा कर सके, इसके लिए हमने ‘Electronic Travel authorisation’ तथा ‘Visa on arrival’ की सुविधा को बहुत ही निकट भविष्‍य में इसको भी लागू कर देंगे।

इन चीजों को सुनिश्चित करने के लिए सेवाओं की speed भी बढ़े। यहां भारतीयों की संख्या भी बहुत है। अब धन की इतनी मात्रा है कि हर छोटे-मोटे काम में लोग आते जाते रहते हैं। और जो outsourcing service है, वह कम पड़ जाती है, और इसलिए हमने कहा है कि जो outsourcing services हैं, उसका दायरा बढ़ाया जाएगा ताकि आपका ज्यादा समय न जाए, ज्यादा कठिनाइयां न हों और सरलता से आपको visa प्राप्त हो। यह साफ-साफ हमने कहा है। और मुझे विश्वास है कि आपकी जो कठिनाइयां मेरे ध्यान में आई थी, मैंने यहां से आने से पहले ही इस विषय में विस्तार से निर्णय करके इन चीजों को पूरा किया है।

आप इतनी बड़ी संख्या में आए, नवरात्रि के पवित्र त्योहार पर आए। और मैं भी बोलता ही चला जा रहा हूं। घड़ी की ओर नहीं देख रहा हूं।

मैं हृदय से आप सबका बहुत आभारी हूं। आपने मुझे बहुत प्यार दिया है। शायद, शायद मैं पिछले 15 साल से देख रहा हूं, शायद इतना प्यार हिन्दुस्तान के किसी राजनेता को नहीं मिला। मैं आपका बहुत आभारी हूं। मैं, मैं ये कर्ज चुकाउंगा। ये कर्ज चुकाउंगा। आपके सपनों का भारत बना करके कर्ज चुकाउंगा।

हम मिल कर के, हम सब मिल कर के भारत मां की सेवा करें, हमसे जो हो सके, हमारे देशवासियों के लिए करें। अपने वतन के लिए करें। जिस धरती पर जन्म लिया, जिस स्कूल में हमने शिक्षा पाई, इसमें जो हो सकता है, करें। इसी एक अपेक्षा के साथ फिर एक बार हृदय से बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद।

भारत माता की जय, भारत माता की जय, भारत माता की जय

बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद।