Lucknow: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections has "effectively presented the strength of the country's democracy and the depth of its strong roots to the world".
Addressing a 'kaarykartaa abhinandan samaaroh' (thanksgiving function for party workers) in Lucknow, Singh said, "More than 64 crore people of the country have voted in this election. Out of this, 23.59 crore people voted for the BJP and 13.67 crore for the Congress. For the first time after 62 years since 1962, a person in the form of Shri Narendra Modi has succeeded in becoming the prime minister of India for the third consecutive time."
Highlighting the works done by the BJP-led NDA government, Singh said the last ten years have been truly unprecedented.
"Currently, India's growth rate is the highest in the world. In the last ten years, our exports have increased and the Current Account Deficit has decreased. Opportunities and income, both have increased in the last ten years," he added.
The senior BJP leader said the development that Prime Minister Modi has done in the last ten years is just a trailer.
"We will get to see the full picture of development in the future," he added.
Throwing light on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had represented Lucknow in the Lok Sabha, Singh said, "This year Atalji's birth centenary year is to be celebrated. It is a matter of good fortune for us that we will get the opportunity to celebrate Atalji's birth centenary. I will tell all the workers of Lucknow that his birth centenary year should be celebrated with full enthusiasm."
Vajpayee was elected to Lok Sabha from Lucknow in 1991, 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2004. In the following Lok Sabha elections in 2009, the BJP maintained its dominance on the seat as Lalji Tandon was elected as the MP.
In the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections, Singh scored a hat-trick by registering a win from Lucknow for the third consecutive time by a margin of over 1.35 lakh votes.
Reiterating his commitment towards the development of Lucknow, he said, "I will not let the pace of development stop in Lucknow. I will try my best to build a developed Lucknow in the next five to ten years."
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and former Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma also spoke on this occasion.