Varanasi: Stating that a good leader dreams big for the country, while a great leader turns those dreams into reality, defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with transforming India’s security, governance and global standing.“PM Modi’s legacy will be remembered for freeing the country from Naxalism, removing Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, lifting crores of people out of poverty, increasing women’s participation in Parliament and giving wings to the aspirations of the youth,” he said while addressing a function organised here to mark the launch of the Seva Sankalp campaign on Modi’s 76th birthday.Singh said PM Modi had already completed 25 years in public service, including 13 years as Gujarat chief minister and 12 years as Prime Minister, and still had decades of service ahead.“For the past 25 years, he has been discharging the responsibilities of constitutional offices with utmost dedication and will continue to serve the country for decades to come. Only half an innings has been played so far,” he said.Singh said the journey linking Kashi and Vadnagar symbolised the connection between the PM Modi’s birthplace and his workplace. He described it as a confluence of service, values and dedication, noting that Vadnagar gave Modi the blessings and teachings of his mother Heeraben, while Kashi gave renewed energy to his public life.Recalling the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat, Singh said Modi, as the then chief minister, transformed the state’s development trajectory afterwards “from a test match into a one-day cricket match”.He also referred to the Samaras Gram Yojana in Gujarat, under which village heads were selected through consensus, saying it helped prevent villages from being divided into rival camps.Singh said Modi’s approach was to see solutions and possibilities where others saw problems. He cited the ‘One District One Product’ initiative as an example of efforts to take local crafts, agricultural products and traditional industries to national and international markets.He said India had emerged as an “economic and cultural power”, referring to the spread of yoga and the redevelopment of religious sites, including Kashi, Ujjain’s Mahakal temple, Kamakhya temple in Guwahati and the Ram temple in Ayodhya.The defence minister also recalled Modi’s decision to raise the sanitation issue from the Red Fort in 2014 and cited the example of 104-year-old Kunwar Bai of Chhattisgarh, who sold her goats to build a toilet after hearing Modi’s appeal.Targeting previous regimes, Singh said that before 2014, India often missed major opportunities because govts were either inactive or focused on saving their chairs. Referring to the semiconductor sector, he alleged that a leading global chip manufacturer had wanted to set up a factory in India, but was denied permission twice by the then Congress govt, costing the country jobs and industrial growth.Singh said Modi’s leadership had changed India’s position on the world stage. Earlier, India’s voice did not receive the seriousness it deserved internationally, he said, but today the world listens carefully whenever India speaks.Singh also highlighted the ancient bond between Kashi and Vadnagar, saying Buddhist monks travelled from Sarnath to Vadnagar nearly 2000 years ago to spread knowledge and spirituality. That tradition, he said, was now being carried forward through service.Praising Modi’s push for local products, Singh said the PM presents Indian-made items to world leaders, citing the example of a Gulabi Meenakari peacock brooch from Varanasi gifted to then US President Joe Biden. He said products such as Banarasi silk and Chandauli’s black rice had gained global recognition due to Modi’s efforts.Singh also said India was exporting defence equipment worth more than Rs 40,000 crore, attracting 843 billion dollar in investment and empowering youth with 5G technology.During the event, he asked attendees to switch on their mobile torches to wish Modi on his birthday.
