Will work to change the country’s image from the one of 'scams' to that of a 'skilled' nation: PM Modi

NEW DELHI | TORONTO: Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to clean up the "mess" created by others – an obvious reference to previous governments led by the Congress – and said he would work to change the country’s image from the one of "scams" to that of a "skilled" nation.

Modi said the "jan mann" (people’s attitude) had changed over the last 10 months since he took over and that there was now an "atmosphere of trust", which was making things happen, such as voluntary participation in the Clean India campaign, rich people giving up LPG subsidy and bank accounts being opened for the poor.

Addressing a gathering of Indian community in Hindi on Wednesday at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum, where Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his wife were also present, Modi exhorted the Indian diaspora to contribute to their home country’s development by sharing their expertise and experience.

This was Modi’s third such address of big scale on foreign soil, beginning with Madison Square Garden in New York last September and in Sydney two months later. Diaspora outreach is a key element of the PM’s foreign policy initiative.

Modi’s public interaction with the Indian diaspora had all the trappings of a rock-star concert, as Bollywood singer Sukhwinder Singh and choreographer Shiamak Davar’s troupe set the tone for the evening.

As the prime minister spoke about the changes sweeping India during the one-hour speech, the audience of about 10,000 people interrupted him repeatedly, with shouts of "Modi, Modi..." "The country is facing many challenges. And there is only one medicine," he said. As the crowds shouted "Modi, Modi", the Prime Minister said it is not he but "vikas (development), which is the solution to all the problems of the country... Only development can take the country forward." Taking an apparent dig at previous governments, Modi said he had started a cleanliness drive in the country.

"Jinko gandagi karni thi, woh gandagi kar ke chaley gaye, par hum safai karenge (Those who had to create a mess, they have done so and left. We will clean it up)," Modi said, without elaborating. "The nation is huge and there is a lot of mess. It has been there for long. It will take time but it will be done as the attitude of people has changed," he said.