New Delhi, June 1 (IANS): Narendra Modi Sunday met BJP workers for the first time after becoming the prime minister and thanked them for their efforts in helping the party win the Lok Sabha election.
Addressing a gathering of 300-350 workers at the Bharatiya Janata Party headquarters here, Modi said the workers were supreme and he has become the prime minister because of their hard work.
"The organization is above all. One should never forget his roots and this is why I have come here today to get rejuvenated and energized. This place is a source of inspiration for all us party workers," he said.
Modi further described his invitation to SAARC leaders for his swearing-in ceremony as a "right decision at the right time".
"The world got a message and everybody is still talking about it. It was a right decision taken at the right time," he said.
Recalling the days when he used to live in the party headquarters, Modi said: "I was allotted a room here and stayed for many years. I remember the hard work we had to put in during election days and I am familiar with the work pressure."
"I appreciate your hard work and it is because of your efforts, the workers who slog at the ground level, that we have won," he said.
Party sources said that full-time workers and staff at the party office here would be given three months' salary as an incentive.
Hailing BJP's impressive victory, Modi said it was the first time that the voters were not influenced by caste and religion and instead voted for "hope".
"If we pass the test of commitment to public welfare, people will hail us," he said.
Lauding the successful organization of the Lok Sabha poll, Modi said the Election Commission as well as political parties needed to do much more to promote the achievement worldwide.
"In India, democracy is in our DNA and genetics and the mammoth exercise of holding elections needs to be promoted around the world to portray India's prowess. We are a powerful democracy," he said adding that universities can do the job by documenting the whole process.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who also spoke, said Modi worked a lot and as a result, all BJP workers supported him, irrespective of their caste or creed.
Speaking to IANS after the meeting, BJP leader Jagdish Mukhi said: "Modi-ji has proved today that he will always be a party worker even if he becomes the prime minister. By coming here, he has set an example for other leaders that there should be no gap between the organization and its leaders."
Agreed another leader Satish Upadhyay, spokesperson for the party's Delhi unit who termed Modi's gesture as "heart touching".
"The message is very clear that the party workers are the most important. They are the ones who make the party and the leaders. It is a heart touching gesture by Modi-ji to come here today," Upadhyay told IANS.