‘Neeyat Sahi Toh Kaam Sahi’: At Rising Bharat Summit, PM Modi’s ‘Nation First’ Mantra to Take India Forward

“Neeyat Sahi Toh Kaam Sahi” — This was the takeaway from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s keynote address at CNN-News18’s Rising Bharat Summit on Wednesday as he shared the single factor that had changed how governments and the bureaucracy functioned after 2014.

Speaking at the summit, the prime minister said: “That factor was Neeyat (intention). And which Neeyat? The Neeyat of Nation First. My country does not lack resources that it should be considered a poor nation. We are the youngest country in the world. There is no reason India should stay behind any country. We just need to proceed with the intention of Nation First.”

He added: “This country, which gives us so much, do we just live here or do we do something different for it? This difference takes the country forward. The day you attach your work to the nation’s goals, whatever be your profession, remember that the seed of Nation First would have germinated in you. This seed is the Aadhaar [foundation] of rising Bharat in the system, government and every corner of the country. Sirf apne liye jeeye toh kya jeeye? Jeena hai toh desh ke liye, marna hai toh desh ke liye…”

The prime minister also referred to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and took a dig at the opposition. “Our Opposition just hurled its 104th abuse at me. They called me Aurangzeb. They have planned to eliminate me,” he said.

“These abuses will not make any difference,” he added, noting that the poor were with him as he had ensured the benefits of welfare schemes reach them, unlike in the past when a huge chunk of welfare money used to be siphoned off.

During the speech, the PM said more than Rs 34 lakh crore has been transferred to the beneficiaries of numerous welfare schemes over the last 10 years, adding that most of the amount would have been pocketed by the corrupt under the previous governments.