In his virtual address to around 30 lakh first-time voters from across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday touched upon a wide range of talking points for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, trying to frame the same in a language that spoke to the youth. He also promised to physically meet those among them whose suggestions for the BJP manifesto were accepted by the party.

Here are the five most important takeaways from his 25-minute speech earlier today, on the occasion of National Voters’ Day.

‘Responsibility as voters’

While asking the youth to send suggestions for the BJP manifesto, Modi said the responsibility of the youth didn’t end with voting themselves, but in getting others to vote, especially ones who are yet to have their names included in the voters’ list. He also said India’s future rested on their shoulders, and is expressed through their electoral choices, which is why they should shun “family-run parties” that do not allow youth from outside their ruling families “to rise in life”.

‘Deciding India’s future over the next 25 years’

The PM said that just as a hundred years ago, India’s youth rose up to fight for freedom — which they achieved over the next 25 years — so too should today’s youth rise up to the challenge of making India a developed country by 2047, over the next 25 years. He congratulated the first-time voters for being born during “Amrit Kaal” and encouraged them to elect stable governments that “hasten India’s rise to the third-largest economy”, speed up reforms, energise the digital revolution, send the first Indian to space, ensure that India establishes its first space station “as it rises in influence around the world”.

‘Need for stable, majority governments’

The PM said stable governments with a majority are able to take decisions that propel the country forward, and listed achievements of his government that, he said, wouldn’t have been possible without such a majority, like the removal of Article 370, introduction of One Rank-One Pension for Army veterans, as well as GST, New Education Policy, women’s reservation, legislation against instant triple talaq, etc. He went on to add the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla at Ayodhya to the list, saying this too was an outcome of “firm decisions taken by a stable, majority government”.

Driving the narrative of him as the representative of India’s entire population, he claimed that when he shakes hands with world leaders, it is as the representative of 140-crore people.

‘End of talk about corruption and scams’

Recalling many “chronic problems of the past”, Modi said his government had solved these, like the talk of corruption and scams involving thousands of crores of rupees. He said instead of having to protest against the government, today’s youth talk about credibility and success stories. He went on to talk about goals in power generation and distribution, saying that soon, there would be solar panels on 1 crore rooftops, that would lead to a reduction in power bills, with the government buying excess electricity from the people.

‘The Modi guarantee’

He wound up his speech with his government’s promises, referring to them as “Modi’s guarantees”. Saying that the dreams of India’s youth power his resolve, he spoke of advancements in the drone and space sectors, the ability of youth to take loans without guarantee under the Centre’s Mudra Yojana, the common admission test for universities, new institutions of higher education coming up, the funding of research, the construction of new highways, airports, railway routes and investments in infrastructure, all for the benefit of the youth. “We will take decisions for the youth – this is Modi’s guarantee,” he said.