Mann ki Baat not about politics, me or government: PM Modi
New Delhi, Nov 25 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday he deliberately kept "politics" out of his monthly radio address 'Mann ki Baat' as the programme was about the aspirations of the people and not his or the government's achievements.
He also said he chose radio as a medium to connect with the people as it was a "mighty means" of getting across.
Addressing the 50th episode of the programme, he said the "apprehensions" of the people are not "misplaced" that the programme could have been used as a political tool and to disseminate his and his government's achievements.
"The fact is, if a leader gets hold of a microphone with assured listeners to the tune of millions, what else does he need? ... When 'Mann Ki Baat' commenced, I had firmly decided that it would carry nothing political, or any praise for the government, nor Modi for that matter anywhere. The greatest bulwark in ensuring adherence to my resolve have been you," he said.
As a run up to each episode, the expectations and aspirations of listeners through their letters, online comments and phone calls are crystal clear, he said.
"Modi may come and go, but this country will never let go of its unity and permanence, our culture will always be immortal," the prime minister said.
He said in an era of social media, he preferred radio as he realised its potential in 1998 as a worker of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
In a remote Himachal Pradesh area, it was a tea stall owner who broke him the news of India carrying out nuclear test.
"It was matter of great intrigue to me to see a lone tea seller in a remote, snow-clad hilly place, who possibly kept listening to the radio the entire day watching that particular effect of the news on radio led me to realise and internalise that this was a medium that was truly connected with the masses and that it was a mighty means of getting across," Modi said.
In terms of the reach and depth of communication, radio has been incomparable. I have been nursing that feeling ever since, acknowledging its power and strength. Hence when I became the prime minister, it was natural for me to turn towards a strong, effective medium, he pointed out.
Modi's monthly radio broadcast 'Mann ki Baat' completed 50 episodes on Sunday.
In its previous episodes, he has covered issues of social, national as well as international implication: education of the girl child, tackling exam stress, climate change and drug menace.
In October 2014, in the very first episode of the programme, he had urged citizens to use at least one khadi product, saying it would help poor weavers.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
