Modi asks Indians to realise their potential

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday used state-run All India Radio to share his "thoughts" and to urge Indians to realise their potential.

Sharing his views in a programme titled "Man ki Baat", Modi recounted anecdotes in a chatty style and urged people to connect with him directly on social media on how to improve the quality of life.

He also promised to make "Man ki Baat" a regular address, twice a month on Sundays.

Speaking a day after he launched the Clean India campaign, Modi touched upon a range of issues.

Referring to his efforts to promote cleanliness, the prime minister appealed to people to connect with nine friends to spread the Clean India message, and said those nine must draw in nine more people each.

Everyone in the country must get connected to keep India clean, he said.

"This Vijaya Dashmi, let us win over dirtiness around us," Modi said. He greeted people on the occasion of Vijaya Dashmi.

"Yesterday, we began the Clean India campaign, and I want you all to join this campaign."

The prime minister urged people to go for khadi products and take advantage of this holiday season when discounts are offered at Khadi Gramodyog Bhavans all over the country.

Buy anything khadi, he said. "It can be a handkerchief, a bedsheet, anything... An item of khadi would help light a lamp in a poor person's house."

Modi recounted the story of a tigress and her two cubs Indian mystic Swami Vivekananda would often relate to make people realize their inner strength.

One of the cubs got lost and was raised by a sheep and began to think and act like a sheep until one day it accidentally met its mother again.

The cub roared when it was made to realize it was a tiger, not a sheep.

"There is great strength in the people of this country of 1.25 billion. There is a need for us to recognize the strength within us, like Swami Vivekananda said.

"If we recognise the strength within ourselves, our self esteem will rise and we will be victorious. Our country will also become victorious and successful," Modi said.

"I think our 1.25 billion people have immense potential in them and are very capable. And we need to show confidence."

The tech-savvy Modi asked people to get in touch with him directly through social media by offering suggestions besides relating inspiring incidents with proof. He promised to recount these on radio.

"This is my first beginning. I shall keep sharing my thoughts with you... The thoughts that came to me, I shared, and I will come again and share more thoughts," he said in his around 15-minute address.