BJP leader Narendra Modi, who is the middle of a storm over his defence of the 2002 Gujarat riots Sunday took potshots at the UPA government's ambitious food security programme, saying the Centre is under the impression that merely bringing in the bill will lead to food reaching the needy.
"The government in Delhi thinks that just by bringing in the Food Security Bill, there will be food in your plate," the the chief BJP campaigner said, addressing students of Pune's Fergusson College. "There is a sense of despondency in the country today," Modi said, and called for the need to modernise the nation, without westernising it. "We want modernisation, not westernization." "There is a need to nurture talent for nation-building," Modi said, peppering his address with achievements made by his government in education and other sectors.
As the controversy over his 'puppy' remark continues, Modi interacted with students of the Fergusson College and inaugurated the college's amphitheatre. "Education has a very big role in nation development," Modi said. "If we want to have a good education system, we should create good teachers. But creating good teachers is not our priority now," he said. "There is this big difference between others and us. Other people are interested in power.
We give priority to empowerment. They want power, we want to empower every citizen of this country. There is a huge difference in our thinking," he said. "I don't want to make any political statements here, but have the expectations from the system been fulfilled?" Modi asked. "After the Independence, had we opted for modern education, we could have done a lot in these 60 years," he added.
Stating that there is an atmosphere of despondency in the country today, Modi said, "I don't endorse this view. It is essential that we get out of this view. Over 65 per cent of our population is below 35 years. This tremendous youth power can be of use if there is someone to do the job," he said.
