New Delhi, May 20: The newly-elected BJP members of Parliament met at the historic Central Hall to elect their leader of its parliamentary group on Tuesday. Senior leader and former deputy prime minister LK Advani proposed Narendra Modi's name which was seconded by senior leaders Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, M Venkaiah Naidu, Arun Jaitley, Nitin Gadkari and others.
Speaking on the occasion, Modi said, "I am grateful to all the party leaders for the immense support and blessings he [Modi] has got." Modi got emotional while making a mention of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said he wished he had been keeping well and present there on the occasion.
Modi said the massive victory the BJP has got leaves its leaders with a lot of responsibility. "A position is not always important. The service to the nation is," he added.
"When Rajnath Singh decided that I would lead the BJP campaign, I started working towards the end immediately," he said. "People asked me if I was tired. I told them 'no'. This is my ultimate test," he said.
The PM-elect said, "If I have failed to reach anywhere and campaign for any member sitting here, I apologise for this but not regret it since you have reached me now." Modi paid obeisance to the people who fought for Independence and "those who gave us our Constitution".
"It was the strength of this Constitution that a common man like me is here today," Modi said.
Modi said, "The net gain of this poll is not somebody's defeat or our victory but that it has given the common man a new confidence. It has given them a new hope."
"The new government is dedicated to the poor of the country, its youth and its women. The government is for their hopes and aspirations."
Modi broke down at the mention of Adavni and said the senior leader "should not have used the word "kripa" (oblige) while making a mention of my contribution". "A son cannot do 'kripa' to his mother. Like the country, my party is also my mother," he said, regaining composure after being provided with a glass of water.
Earlier, party president Rajnath Singh said that Modi, who bowed before entering the hall, was visiting the Central Hall for the first time. Speaking on the occasion, Singh also remembered the party icons Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pt. Deen Dayal Udhadhyay.
Showering lavish praise on Modi for his immense contribution to the BJP's magnificent victory, Singh elaborated on how the party had come out with flying colours across the length and breadth of the country. He said the BJP had made inroads and won seats in places like Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
Maintaining that the political rivals tried their best to divert people's attention from core problems the country faced to unimportant things, Singh said, "I credit the people for not allowing the focus to move away from a positive agenda."
Speaking on the occasion, Advani said the occasion is historic and will be etched in people's memory. An emotional Advani said that he agrees that this historic victory of the party led by Modi is a historic occasion.
Advani said that he being an emotional person has cried on all the historic occasions, like the country's Independence, the Emergency and the present victory of the party led by Modi. Advani said the kind of mandate that we have got this time is unprecedented and leaves us burdened with responsibility.
Modi is expected to meet President Pranab Mukherjee later in the day to stake claim for government formation.
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