NEW DELHI, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Regional aspirations and national ambitions will define India's development in the coming years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday after being elected as the leader of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
It paved the way for Modi's second consecutive term as the prime minister.
He said the world's expectations of India had increased over the years, and these global aspirations could be fulfilled only by India's overall development in the coming years.
Speaking at a ceremony at the Central Hall of the parliament where several NDA partners proposed and supported his candidacy for the prime minister, Modi said the just-concluded general elections had sent the maximum number of women lawmakers to the lower house of parliament "Lok Sabha."
He said the NDA had become a reliable movement in the country. These elections also witnessed the largest ever number of voters exercising their right to vote since independence, he added.
Modi promised to work for the poor and the minorities in the country, and resolved to remove poverty by providing them basic facilities like housing, water, electricity, health and education.
He said the mandate given by the countrymen in the 2019 elections was pro-incumbency of his first government (2014-2019).
The prime minister also cautioned the new lawmakers to desist from VIP (very important person) culture and dedicate to working for the poor and downtrodden.
In a lighter vein, he advised the new lawmakers to keep themselves at a distance from the media.
He quipped "Avoid yourself from being the victim of media. I want to advise the first timers in particular to first ascertain the correct facts before speaking to the media. Media asks you off-the-record questions, but I say there is nothing off the record."
