Modi said the membership drive will further connect people from all walks of life with the saffron party. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi/Varanasi: Calling the critics of the Centre’s target of achieving a $5-trillion economy within the next five years as “professional pessimists”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that “New India” is on the threshold of sprinting forward.

Addressing a gathering in Varanasi, a day after presentation of the Union Budget, Mr Modi said, “I am confident that as a nation, with our collective efforts, in the next five years we will definitely reach the destination of “$5-trillion economy. But, some people are questioning the need for this (goal) and asking why all these are being done... These are people we can call ‘pesheywar nirashawadi’ (professional pessimists).”

“These professional pessimists are totally different from common people. If you approach a common man with a problem, he will offer you a solution. But if you go to these people with a solution, they will convert it into a problem,” he said.

Highlighting the need for collective will power to achieve the goal, the Prime Minister said, “It is important to know about the $5-trillion economy because some people are casting doubts over the competence of Indians, saying achieving the target is very difficult.

During an event to launching the BJPs membership drive in his parliamentary constituency’, the Prime Minister referred to the budgetary provisions saying that a “New India” is on the threshold of “sprinting forward” and recited a few couplets in Hindi which mean that the challenges offer immense opportunities.

Mr Modi said, “The rich and the poor are the arms of ‘New India’. This is the call for transforming the country. The nation has moved ahead in the past too, but now ‘New India’ is ready to sprint... People have the power to turn the impossible into possible.”

“There was a time when the country used to face foodgrains’ shortage. The country had to import foodgrains. But, at that time (PM Lal Bahadur) Shastriji gave the clarion call of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ and farmers filled the storehouses of the country with foodgrains,” said the Prime Minister.

Launching his party’s membership drive, Mr Modi said it will further connect people from all walks of life with the saffron party.

He said the membership drive will further connect people from all walks of life with the saffron party.

The membership drive was launched on the occasion of the 118th birth anniversary of party ideologue Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

At a separate event, BJP national president Amit Shah launched the membership drive at Samshabad, Telangana by handing over the partys membership to a tribal lady, Soni Naik. ‘

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh launched the drive in Jaipur, while his Cabinet colleague Nitin Gadkari launched it in Nagpur. Other senior leaders of the party, including Union ministers, also launched the drive at different parts of the country.  

Earlier, Mr Modi welcome the new members of the party and said, “From the soil of Kashi, I greet each dedicated worker of the party.”

He also recited a Sanskrit couplet which means that it is hardwork which eventually leads to success, and not merely the wish to do so, as a deer does not enter the mouth of a lion on its own.

“The country moves ahead on achieving targets. The need is will power to achieve that target,”Mr Modi said, adding the strength of BJP has been its simplicity and virtue.

“We have inherited these values from people like Atal ji, Advani ji, Joshi ji and many others. The main feeling underlining today’s membership campaign is we should work as ambassadors of the country along with that of the party,” he said.

Mr Modi also unveiled a statue of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri at Varanasi airport.