Referring to the popular saying in Hindi, “Aamdhani atthanni kharcha rupaiya”, on expenditure far in excess of income, Modi said, “The political parties, which have adopted this bad policy, will make this country hollow from inside”.
Nagpur: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at political parties that, he said, were indulging in the “politics of shortcuts” and destroying the country’s economy for their “personal interest”.
Gold Rate
24 April 2025
Addressing a gathering at the MIHAN in Nagpur, the Prime Minister called for “sustainable development and sustainable solutions” so that the country can emulate the progress charted by nations such as Singapore and South Korea which, he said, were once considered poor.
Flagging off infrastructure and development projects worth Rs 75,000 crore in Nagpur, including Phase-1 of the Samruddhi Expressway to Mumbai and the Nagpur Metro, Modi said, “I also want to caution the people of Maharashtra and the people of the country about a distortion coming in the politics of India. This is the deformity of shortcut politics. This is the deformity of looting the country’s money for political interests. This is the deformity of looting the hard-earned money of taxpayers. These political parties who are adopting shortcuts, these political leaders are the biggest enemies of every taxpayer of the country. Those whose aim is only to come to power, whose aim is only to grab the government by making false promises, they can never build the country. Today, at a time when India is working on goals for the next 25 years, some political parties, in their personal interest, want to destroy India’s economy,” Modi stated.
Referring to the popular saying in Hindi, “Aamdhani atthanni kharcha rupaiya”, on expenditure far in excess of income, Modi said, “The political parties, which have adopted this bad policy, will make this country hollow from inside. In many countries of the world, we have seen the entire economy being ruined because of such bad policies. Together, we have to save India from such bad policies… on the one hand, there is this directionless politics and only selfishness, which believe in the bad policy of half income and full expenditure. On the other hand, there is patriotism and dedication, and pursuit of sustainable development and sustainable solutions.”
In this context, the Prime Minister referred to the Gujarat election results last week, when the BJP returned to power with an overwhelming majority. The verdict, he said, was “the result of the economic policy and development strategy of sustainable development and sustainable solutions”.
“I would humbly and respectfully say to such politicians who adopt shortcuts: understand the vision of sustainable development, understand its importance, how much it is needed for the country today, understand that, instead of short-cuts, you can win elections by doing sustainable development. You can win elections again and again. I want to say to such parties, you do not need to be afraid. I am sure, when you keep the interest of the country paramount, then you will definitely leave the path of shortcut politics,” he said.
Modi did not name any party or individual but he has previously spoken out against the politics of “freebies” — a call that his party has seized on to mainly target the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi, which won the MCD elections last week. Moreover, the BJP was unable to counter the Congress’ poll promise in Himachal Pradesh for a return to the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which played a key role in the Opposition party’s return to power last week.
The Prime Minister also targeted earlier governments on the issue of corruption. “At the time of earlier governments, the money contributed by the honest taxpayers of our country either went into corruption or was spent on strengthening the vote bank. It is the need of the hour that each penny of the treasury…the capital of the country should be used in building a bright future for youths. Today, I would urge each youth and taxpayer to expose such selfish politicians and political parties,” he said.
Warning that India cannot to miss the next wave of development, Modi said, “We all remember, when the first industrial revolution came, India could not take advantage of it, we remained behind in the second-third industrial revolutions as well, but today when it is time for the fourth industrial revolution, India cannot miss it. I will say again, such an opportunity does not come to a country again and again. No country can run with shortcuts. For the progress of the country, permanent development, working for permanent solutions, and a long-term vision are very important. And infrastructure is at the core of sustainable development.”
Citing the examples of South Korea and Singapore, Modi reiterated that the “need of the hour is that every penny of the government… should be spent on building a bright future for the young generations”.
