"Baar-Baar launch karna padta hai" PM Modi takes veiled dig at Rahul Gandhi at Startup Mahakumbh

New Delhi: Though veiled but seemingly targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drew a parallel between startups and politics.

Addressing the Startup Mahakumbh, one of thhe first large congregation of startups, the Prime Minister said many people try to launch political startups but the difference between them and the original startups is the latter's thrust for new ideas.

"Many people try to 'launch' startups, especially in politics, sometimes multiple times... The difference between you and them is that you're experimental. You try new ideas after the failure of one launch," the prime minister said, in his initial remarks.

Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir in 2023 and the latest Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Imphal to Mumbai which culminated this week are seen as a rebranding of the Congress leader and to portray him as the face of the principal Opposition party ahead of the General elections.

Rahul Gandhi is again contesting from his current Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency.

The Prime Minister also spoke on the pace of innovation and development saying that India had made the right decisions at the right time.

"Today, the energy & vibe is amazing! Strolling along the stalls and watching your inventions, I could feel the vibe that India's future holds many Unicorns and Decacorns. For promoting startups, India made the right decisions at the right time" he said.

"Over the past decades, we have seen how India has made huge strides in the software and IT sector. Now, we can see the pace of development of innovation and startup culture in India," he added.

PM Modi also highlighted the government's role in creating an effective startup ecosystem.

"India has attempted to bring together startup ecosystems from around the world under Startup-20. In the same Bharat Mandapam, startups were not only included for the first time in the Delhi Declaration of G-20, but were also considered as natural engines of growth" he said.

"India is the world's 3rd largest startup ecosystem. There are over 1.25 lakh registered startups which generate employment for over 12 lakh people. India has over 110 unicorns... Our startups have registered over 12,000 patents" he added.

Lok Sabha elections 2024 will be held in seven phases beginning from April 19 till June 1, and results slated to be release on June 4. A total of 96.8 crore voters will be eligible to cast their vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.