PM Modi, addressing the 23rd Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, delivered a spirited rebuttal to what he called a deliberate attempt to tarnish India’s civilisational identity by blaming the country’s past economic struggles on the “Hindu rate of growth”.
“Linking India’s earlier slow progress to Hindu values is nothing but a motivated attempt to malign our way of life,” he declared, asserting that India’s resurgence today stands as the strongest answer to such narratives.
Modi framed India as a stabilising force in a deeply uncertain world, one that has endured financial shocks, geopolitical conflicts, and a pandemic that shook global confidence.
“When the world talks of slowdown, India writes new chapters of growth. When trust crumbles worldwide, India stands as a pillar of credibility,” he said, adding that a quarter of the 21st century may already have passed, but India’s moment is only accelerating.
Taking a subtle swipe at past administrations, the Prime Minister said older governance models were rooted in mistrust of citizens.
“Earlier systems believed that citizens could not be trusted. We changed that mindset,” he said. “Now, a simple self-attested document is enough. A citizen’s word has value.”
He linked these reforms to the Jan Vishwas initiatives, removing the fear of petty criminalisation in compliance matters and reducing bureaucratic barriers that ordinary Indians struggled against for decades.
A highlight of his speech was the impact of guarantee-free loans under government schemes.
Over ₹37 lakh crore has flowed directly to small entrepreneurs, hawkers, and low-income families.
“Even those who need just ₹1,000 get it without collateral. This is governance grounded in faith in our own people.”
