New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Praveen Khandelwal on Monday slammed the opposition, accusing them of looking at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's podcast with Lex Fridman from a 'political lens' and suggested they look after themselves first.

Lauding PM Modi, he said the Prime minister has commenced a new chapter of development, and the opposition is 'frustrated' after facing defeats.

'The things PM Modi said in his podcast are based on truth. When he was the CM, the then-central government tried to mistreat him... In the last 10 years, PM Modi has begun a new chapter of development...and because of that, the Opposition has had to face defeat. This has made them frustrated. That is why they are looking at PM Modi's podcast with their political lens. But it would be better if they would look after themselves first,' Praveen Khandelwal told ANI.

Earlier on Sunday, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh hit out at PM Modi over his remark that 'criticism is the soul of democracy', and alleged that every institution has been 'systematically gutted' in the country.

'He who is afraid of facing the media in a press conference has found comfort in a foreign podcaster anchored in the rightwing ecosystem. And he has the gall to say that 'criticism is the soul of democracy' when he has systematically gutted every institution that is to hold his Government accountable and gone after critics with a vengeance that no one in recent history has matched!' the Congress MP posted on X.

Prime Minister Modi, in his conversation with Lex Fridman, spoke on a wide range of topics, opening up on his earlier life and outlining his vision for the country.

PM apprised about the efforts made by the state machinery in conducting elections and said that 980 million people registered to vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, which exceeds the entire population of North America and European countries.

'Anyone who believes in democracy should listen to what I'm about to share with you. There were 980 million registered voters (in the 2024 general elections). Each of those voters had a registered ID and all the necessary details in a vast database. This number is twice the entire population of North America. It even surpasses the total population of the entire European Union,' PM Modi said.

'Out of the 980 million registered voters, 646 million people ventured out and braved the intense heat of May, determined to cast their votes. Temperatures soared to 40 degrees in some areas, yet they chose to go, and the size of this voter base is double the population of the United States,' he added.

Highlighting the dedication of people to participate in elections, PM Modi said that remote villages also had polling stations, where helicopters were used to set up polling stations. He said the election authorities set up a polling booth for merely one voter in the Gir Forest, Gujarat.

'Even the remotest villages have polling stations. We even use helicopters to transport polling stations. I believe Arunachal Pradesh has the highest altitude polling booth on record. In Gujarat, a polling booth was set up in the Gir Forest for just one voter, who was in the middle of nowhere, but we ensured a polling booth was set up for them,' the Prime Minister said.

Emphasising the democratic nature of India, PM Modi said there are more than 25,000 registered political parties along with media houses, both broadcast and print, that play a crucial role in upholding democracy.

'My country has more than 2,500 registered political parties. This staggering figure, with such a vast array of political parties, has the power to leave the entire world in awe. My country has more than 900 round-the-clock news channels. There are over 5,000 newspapers published daily. They each play a role in upholding democracy in their own way,' he said.

Speaking on the central government's commitment to the welfare of the people, the Prime Minister said that welfare schemes must reach the 'intended beneficiaries', where there is no discrimination based on caste, faith or ideology. He said trust remains the 'cornerstone' of his governance model. (ANI)