June 4 will be 'big turning point' in building 'swarnim Bharat': PM Modi

New Delhi, May 29: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the next five years will play a decisive role in building a "swarnim Bharat" with the "big turning point" taking place on June 4 - the day results of the Lok Sabha elections are announced.

"Countries that gained independence along with us - many of them smaller in size and ordinary - have reached great heights. We had so much talent, skill and potential, a growing young population, but we kept falling behind," said PM Modi while addressing an election rally in Mathurapur, his last in West Bengal during the ongoing 2024 elections.

Citing the transformation that has taken place over the last 10 years, he stated that the same India is now moving ahead with great speed and is being watched closely and praised by the entire world.

"For 60 years, the country was struggling in every sector... And, for the past 10 years, people have witnessed the progress that India is capable of making," said PM Modi.

The Prime Minister told the massive gathering that everyone in the world - be it the US, Australia, Japan or Europe - looks at India with respect now.

"You have made this happen, your one vote has given me the strength to hoist the Indian flag in the world," he said.

As he addressed more public meetings in Odisha's Mayurbhanj and Balasore later in the day, PM Modi continued to spotlight the progressive approach of his government, specifically listing improved sanitation facilities in villages and providing LPG connections, clean water, free food grains and medical treatment to people all over the country.

"India will become the third largest economic power in the world. In the next five years, we will witness an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' in many sectors. We will see a complete transformation of highways, expressways, and railways. This will directly benefit our eastern regions, including Odisha," assured PM Modi.