It's special, left behind those who ruled us for 250 years: PM on India becoming 5th large economy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that surpassing the UK to become the world's fifth largest economy is special because India has left behind those who ruled it for 250 years.

New Delhi: Surpassing the UK to become the world's fifth largest economy is special because India has left behind those who ruled it for 250 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday. According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections, India has overtaken the UK to become the world's fifth-largest economy and is now behind only the US, China, Japan and Germany.

The prime minister, who was interacting with National Teacher Award winners, said the country has broken the shackles of thousands of years of slavery and will only move forward. "The pleasure of surpassing the UK, who ruled over India for approximately 250 years supersedes the mere statistics of improved ranking from the sixth largest to the fifth largest economy. It is special," he said.

Modi highlighted the spirit of the Tiranga which led to India achieving new heights in the world of today. "This spirit is essential today. I urge everyone to ignite the same spirit of living, toiling and dying for the country as seen from 1930 to 1942 when every Indian was fighting the British for Independence.

"I will not let my country stay behind. We have broken the shackles of thousands of years of slavery and now we will not stop now. We will only move forward," the prime minister reiterated. A decade ago, India was ranked 11th among the large economies while the UK was at the fifth position. With the record-beating expansion in the April-June quarter, the Indian economy has now overtaken the UK, which has slipped to the sixth spot. (PTI)