The prime minister said that he had also enabled successful negotiations with many countries
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati at their joint election campaign. Pic/PTI
Often in the line of opposition fire over his foreign trips, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday said India's might was being acknowledged globally because of his numerous visits abroad.
Taking on the opposition for the criticism that he was seen more abroad than in the country during his tenure as the prime minister, Modi said, hardly five years back India found it difficult to get its voice heard, but now the world stands with it.
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"I read somewhere that Didi (Mamata Banerjee) has said this chaiwala was busy making foreign trips all these five years, but today India's might is being acknowledged everywhere because of these visits," he said in Birbhum district.
PM Modi after he voted in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. Pic/PTI
He said earlier the country had to buy crude oil and gas at exorbitant prices and there used to be long-term agreements on the rates, which were renegotiated by his government through friendly discussions. "It is because of India's increasing might that fugitives are being brought back to the country from foreign shores to face trial, something which was unthinkable in the past," Modi said, in an apparent reference to extradition proceedings against fugitive businessmen Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi.
Modi said that during the visit by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, he asked for an increase in the quota of Haj pilgrims from the country by two lakh. Modi said Saudi Arabia also conceded his demand for release of 800 Indians in its prisons ahead of the holy month of Ramzan. The request, he said, was granted within 12 hours.
Akhilesh attacks Congress for its 'big ego'
SP chief Akhilesh Yadav lashed out at the Congress over its "big ego" while continuing his attack on the BJP, suggesting that voters will walk away this time from the tea being offered by the 'chaiwala' prime minister Narendra Modi.
"As you know the taste of the tea now, will you vote for him again?" the Samajwadi Party president asked. He also called the prime minister a "prachar mantri", or a publicity minister. At Kanpur, Yadav sharpened his attack against the Congress. "Like the BJP, the Congress too believes in threatening political opponents. We had an alliance but found that their ego is too big," Yadav said.
'PM misguiding us on reservation issue'
Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati Wednesday accused Modi of misguiding the country on the issue of reservation. In a tweet, Mayawati wrote, "Efforts being made by PM Modi to misguide the country on reservation that it will continue, is in fact another jumlebaji (rhetoric), as like the Congress, in their rule, reservation to the SC/ST/OBC has been made completely inactive and ineffective."
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