PM Modi unveils revamped Pragati Maidan, assures India will be among world's top 3 economies in his third term

"In my third term, India will stand among the top three economies. And this is Modi's guarantee," PM Modi said at the inauguration of the revamped Pragati Maidan, which has been renamed 'Bharat Mandapam'.

"In our first term, India was in the 10th spot in terms of economy. In my second term, it is the world's fifth-largest economy. On the basis of track record, I will make the country believe, in the third term, the economy will be among the world's top three," he added.

Sending out a message of development and growth at the inauguration, he said, "From east to west, north to south, India's infrastructure is changing... The world's highest rail bridge in India, the longest tunnel at the highest altitude is in India, the highest motorable road, the largest stadium, the largest statue -- all of it is in India."

The inaugural session of the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre Bharat Mandapam became a stage of political war ahead of the 2024 general elections as PM Modi directed a sharp dig at the Opposition.

"In the last 60 years, India managed to electrify only 20, 000 km of rail lines compared to the 40,000 km achieved by his government in the last nine years... Now every month, we are completing a 6 km metro line, less than 4 lakh km of village roads... In 2014, Delhi airport's capacity was around 5 crore a year. Now it is 7.5 crore... The number of airports has reached 150," he said.

PM Modi said while centers like the Bharat Mandapam enhance the country's profile globally, there have been people who attempted to stop it.

"These people tried to stop this Bharat Mandapam. It is some people's compulsion to stop every work. So many cases were filed... I am confident that after a while, those people will come here for some lectures or events," he said referring to the opposition parties who came together to take on his BJP next year.