New Delhi, Oct. 7: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday marked 25 years of his holding of public office by urging Indians to adopt a “We Will Do It” attitude with regard to hitting development goals by 2047.

He was addressing the “Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sabha” on his completion of 25 years in public office, first as Chief Minister of Gujarat (on October 7th, 2001) and later as Prime Minister of India in an unbroken sequence. “There is no reason for India to stop. A hundred years ago, there were less than 40 crore of us; today, we are more than 140 crore. The 140 crore citizens together will build a developed India by 2047, and we certainly will. We Will Do It’,” he said.

This would include the goals of a developed India, which was among the top three economies in the world, self-reliance as a global manufacturing hub, a contender to host the Olympics, stepping into space, etc. “This energy, this enthusiasm, this confidence is extraordinary,” he said. He said that he bowed before people of the country who had placed their trust in him. “For me, people are God; hardworking BJP workers are my strength,” he said. He said that while his well-wishers encouraged him, critics taught him to look within.

Reflecting on his quarter of a century tenure in public office, he said, “25 years ago, at the age of 50, I had spent my time serving tribal communities in the forests and living amidst the mountains, eventually choosing the path of organisational work within the Bharatiya Janata Party. My political report card reflected only the work of an organisational worker. I had been involved in elections, yet I had never contested one myself,” he noted, adding that electoral prominence was never his personal pursuit.

“Had I desired to shine in electoral politics, I could have entered the arena long ago; but that was not my temperament. I never even stopped to consider what I would become in life or what my future held,” he added. His life’s path, he said, was shaped by a singular principle: “The upbringing and values instilled in me since childhood taught me to live my life for a mission, not for personal ambition.”

Highlighting his government’s achievements in different sectors, Prime Minister Modi said that what once seemed unimaginable had become possible, like lifting of 25 crore people out of poverty.

“That is why I believe in the strength and potential of 140 crore Indians. After 25 years of experience, I can say with confidence that we are witnessing India’s transformation right before our eyes,” he said.

Referring to Captain Smit Machchhar, an Indian pilot with flydubai who foiled an attempt by his co-pilot to crash an Israel-bound flight despite being stabbed, the PM said the world is talking about India’s pilot today and a day will come when the world will talk about made-in-India aircraft.

While coining a new slogan for a can-do attitude, he noted that one of the biggest challenges the country faced was the division of society along the lines of votes.