Varanasi, May 21 : Overwhelmed by the huge presence of over 25,000 women at the 'Nari Shakti Sammelan' in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his address at the event on an emotional note on Tuesday.

"This is the first time that I have filed my nomination for Kashi without the blessings of my mother. Mother Ganga had earlier called me to Kashi, now Mother Ganga has adopted me. Even if I am busy, I know you are here to take care of Varanasi. Vishwanath may be the king of Kashi but it is Maa Annapurna who takes care," said PM Modi.

Talking about the apathy of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party towards women, PM Modi said that these parties opposed reservation for women.

"The INDI Alliance's mentality has always been anti-women. They opposed women's reservation. Wherever their government comes to power, it becomes difficult for women to live. The people of Banaras are familiar with the Jungle Raj in UP and Bihar. It was difficult for our sisters and daughters to step out of the house. Daughters had to leave their studies and sit at home due to safety concerns," he said.

"Their leaders said, 'ladke hain, galti ho jaati hai', but now, if their boys make any mistake, Yogi Adityanath knows how to deal with them," he added.

Crediting his government for making a transformative impact, PM Modi said that for the first time, there is a government at the Centre which cares about the dignity of women.

"For the first time in the past 10 years, women have come to the forefront of the government's policies and decisions. Although it hasn't been discussed much, it is a major factor in India's success story.

"Tell me, if the home cannot be run without you, how can the country be run without you? This was something that the governments did not understand for 60 years. What did the Congress-SP governments give to women? Only neglect and insecurity," he stated.

The Prime Minister also said that it was his government which opened bank accounts for even the poorest women, registered millions of PM Awas in their names, and made them property owners.

"These were not just schemes, they gave new confidence to women's power. This was my mission, this was my vision," said PM Modi.

He also said that to give respect to women, he had built 11 crore 'izzat ghars' and ensured free ration for every family so that they could save money.

"The signature tune of the Congress regime was 'mehngai daiyan khaye jaat hai', but we made sure that life should be enriched for women," he said.

Asking women to ensure that the BJP emerges victorious (in the Lok Sabha polls), the Prime Minister promised that after June 4, he will turn 'shakti' into 'mahashakti'.

/IANS