Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that during his third term India will be propelled into one of the top three economies of the world. Sending out a message of development and growth at the inauguration of Delhi's revamped Pragati Maidan, he said, "from east to west, north to south, India's infrastructure is changing... The world's highest rail bridge is in India, the longest tunnel at the highest altitude is in India, the highest motorable road, the largest stadium, the largest statue -- all of them are in India".
The economic growth, he added, will keep pace with the country' aspirations. "In our first term, India was in the 10th spot in terms of economy. In my second term, it is the world's fifth largest economy. On the basis of track record, I will make the economy of the country among the world's top three," he added. "In my third term, India will stand among the top three economies. And this is Modi's guarantee".
In a political speech held at the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre, now known as "Bharat Mandapam," PM Modi compared the growth of the last nine years with the whole growth of the six decades since independence.
"In the last 60 years, India managed to electrify only 20,000 km of rail lines compared to the 40,000 km achieved by his government in the last nine years... Now every month, we are completing a 6 km metro line, less than 400,000 km of village roads... In 2014, Delhi airport's capacity was around 50 million a year. Now it is 75 million... The number of airports has reached 150," he said.
Taking a jab at the opposition, PM Modi claimed that when establishments like the Bharat Mandapam raise a nation's reputation, "negative minded" individuals have tried to thwart it. "These people tried to stop this Bharat Mandapam. It is some people's compulsion to stop every work. In breaking news, what all was showed? So many cases were filed... I am confident that after a while, those people will come here for some lectures or event," he said.