“Mann Ki Baat carried out by Modi empowered foundations of India’s democracy”: Amit Shah

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ whose 100th episode is set to air on April 30, calling it Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “unprecedented experiment” in empowering India’s democratic foundations. The Prime Minister started the monthly radio program after taking over office in 2014. Addressing the concluding session of the National Conclave on ‘Mann Ki Baat’, the Home Minister said, “Mann Ki Baat is an unprecedented experiment carried out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that empowered the foundations of India’s democracy.”

“It is a very important event in which the leader appreciates the achievements of the people who are contributing to India’s national growth in their own way,” Shah said.

He praised the Prime Minister’s decision to use ‘Akashvani’ as a medium to reach out to the people through his monthly radio program, calling it the “voice of the nation’s soul.”

“I am glad that Modi ji chose ‘Akashvani’ to convey his message. Since my childhood, I have been an admirer of ‘Akashvani’. I believe that it is the voice of the nation’s soul. I heard about India’s victory in Bangladesh in ‘Akshvani’ and also the defeat of a tyrant Indira Gandhi after an emergency in ‘Akashvani’. I was a regular listener of Jaymala a program that entertained the armed force jawans by playing songs at their request. People forgot this medium but Modiji revived it and popularized it among the young generation,” the Home Minister further said.

He also stated that dialogue between the people and the leader is the only way to strengthen the foundation of democracy. Mann Ki Baat fulfilled that role and helped to strengthen India’s foundation.

“It is incredible that a political leader conversed with people in 99 episodes without bringing up a single political issue,” Home Minister Shah added.
The minister also stated that the Prime Minister used this programme to showcase the nation’s creative, innovative, and moral power.

“The nation that cannot organize and appreciates these three forces cannot be a successful democracy. Modi ji executed this mantra in all the 99 episodes,” he said.

In the last nine years, Modiji has unravelled many facets of India’s democracy, he says. But one of his most significant contributions was to free Indian politics from the clutches of casteism, mysticism, and appeasement.

“As long as our thought is polluted by these three elements our opinions can never be free. He freed politics from them and made it performance-based. One who performs and serves better can remain in politics. He gave a new life and energy to our democracy,” he said.

Shah also stated that, as a perfect communicator, the prime minister demonstrated how to speak through his actions, thoughts, and conversations in Mann Ki Baat without delivering a speech. The minister also used the Hindi proverb “Gagar mei sagar Bharna” to describe how the Prime Minister covered so many topics in such a short period of time and in so many languages.

“Mann Ki Baat has always been pan-Indian in nature covering a vast expanse of India from Ladakh to Lakshwadeep and from the northeast to Punjab. It also covered a myriad of subjects from farmers to science from self-help groups to start-ups from cooperation to space,” he said.

He gave all of them a new flight with Mann Ki Baat, creating awareness about cleanliness, ecology protection, and self-reliance, encouraging covid warriors and campaigning for clean India, fit India, beti bachao, beti padhao, water conservation, and being vocal for local.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a PERFECT communicator he said that here P stands for campaigning for Peace, E for Empowerment, R stands for reflective, F stands for festive, E for economic development, C for caring, and T for thoughtful,” he added.

“Modiji explained the meaning of festivals and their relation with our ecology sending across a message of Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat,” he said.

He further added, “We had forgotten Khadi. But Modiji said that it is not a fabric but a thought process. Modiji after Mahatma Gandhi was the first person to promote such vigour.”

Shah also stated that as a result of the prime minister’s appeal in ‘Mann Ki Baat,’ India increased toy production, reducing imports by 70% and increasing exports from Rs 202 million to Rs 326 million.

“Similarly export of musical instruments increased by 8 percent due to these encouraging words in ‘Mann Ki Baat’. The Prime Minister popularized traditional games like Kabaddi and Khokho which teach young generations to accept defeat as well as to stay motivated,” Amit Shah added.