During an interaction with secretaries of central ministries and his council of ministers, Prime Minister Modi urged them to prioritize the preparation of a blueprint for a "developed India," emphasising the importance of continuing the progressive agenda of development despite the country's political preoccupations. Expressing confidence in securing a third tenure, Modi emphasised the necessity of ongoing work on the full Budget scheduled for presentation in June, emphasizing its transformational potential.
The PM told his ministers, “Jeet kar aao (come back as winners).” He advised them to exercise restraint while speaking, in what appeared to reflect the leadership’s concern about a pattern of provocative utterances deflecting attention from Modi’s focus on development and senior members letting themselves be baited into making allegedly divisive remarks.
PM Modi said, “Elections don’t mean a break from governance. The goal of turning India into a developed country is a non-partisan goal which will remain an aspiration even as governments come and go.”
The council of ministers meeting, spanning over eight hours, was divided into two sessions. The initial session included ministers and all secretaries, while the second session consisted solely of ministers.
The PM spoke about how BJP has encouraged many ministers who are members of Rajya Sabha to be in the Lok Sabha fray. The first list released has 34 ministers. PM’s advice to ministers to exercise caution while speaking came a day after the party benched firebrand Bhopal MP Sadhvi Pragya as well as Ramesh Bidhuri and Pravesh Varma, both two-termers from Delhi, for making statements that many considered to be hate speeches.