Women's Support an Emotional Issue for Me, PM Modi Tells Network18, Explains Why He Has No Message for First-Time Voters

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an exclusive interview with Network18 on Monday, said the support of women voters was an emotional issue for him.

“I request you to not politicise the blessings of mothers and sisters. This is an emotional issue. And I believe that for the welfare of the country, it is important to empower Matrishakti. We should encourage Nari shakti. I am working with devotion towards this cause. Please don’t weigh it in the scale of politics,” he said in response to a question by Amish Devgan, Managing Editor, New18 UP.

During his election campaigns, PM Modi has cited a host of women-centric schemes of his government to assert that only a society which boosts women’s standing and creates opportunities for them can advance.

His third term will write a new chapter in the rise of women’s power, Modi said at a ‘Sashakt Nari-Viksit Bharat’ programme earlier this year, exuding confidence in retaining power in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Modi said he is the first prime minister who spoke of a host of issues related to women, including lack of toilets, use of sanitary pads, adverse effects of smoke-causing kitchen fuels like wood and coal, and the need for bank accounts from the ramparts of the Red Fort, a reference to his Independence Day speeches.

‘NO MESSAGE FOR FIRST-TIME VOTERS’

Asked about his message for first-time voters, the prime minister said he wanted to receive their messages instead. “I want to run the country as per their expectations. I took feedback from 35 lakh youth for Vision 2047. I have made a plan for 100 days and now I am thinking I should make it for 125 days. And for those extra 25 days, I would like to take their suggestions.”

With as many as 1.82 crore first-time voters this year, PM Modi and the BJP have left no stone unturned to tap into the vote bank.

This March, for the first time, the Modi government decided to establish the National Creators Award for social media influencers and digital creators in a bid to woo the youth. Apart from this, PM Modi put a special thrust on NCC that has mostly teenagers. He has already laid out plans for the expansion of NCC in border and coastal areas.

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