Thiruvananthapuram, June 20 (AHN) India’s transformation from a country once criticised globally for corruption and lack of vision to the world’s fifth-largest economy was the result of a decisive change in governance under the Narendra Modi government, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Saturday.

Inaugurating the Navabharat Sadas, organised by the BJP as part of the celebrations marking 12 years of the Modi government, Chandrasekhar said the country, its people, Constitution and democracy remained unchanged, but a new approach to governance had brought about a historic shift.

“India today is being recognised as a major global economic power because of the governance model adopted by the Modi government,” he said.

Chandrasekhar said critics, including Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan, had earlier claimed that India’s manufacturing sector could not succeed.

“But it is through the growth of manufacturing that India has emerged as the world’s fifth-largest economy,” he said.

Pointing to the expansion of domestic production, he said that nearly 90 per cent of mobile phones used in India before 2014 were imported, while today 98 per cent are manufactured in the country under the Make in India initiative.

Chandrasekhar, now also the BJP MLA from the Nemom constituency, said the government had created an environment where the aspirations of young Indians were encouraged, turning them into a confident workforce admired globally.

Unlike the Opposition’s politics of promising freebies, the Modi government focused on policy making and execution, he said.

“The country is progressing towards the goal of becoming a fully developed nation by 2047 by creating a strong foundation for future generations,” Chandrasekhar added.

Kazhakkoottam MLA V. Muraleedharan, who delivered the keynote address, said the Centre’s 12-year rule had been marked by decisions based on development, good governance, national security and self-reliance.

He said transparency and the elimination of corruption from governance mechanisms were among the major achievements of the period.

“The Modi government has shown that development and welfare can move together,” he said.

An exhibition showcasing the government’s welfare schemes and achievements over the past 12 years was also organised.