Leaders of previous govt kept personal interest above national interest: Modi

New Delhi: In an apparent dig at Congress' minimum income poll promise and the Gandhi family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said its four generations had made the same promises but nothing happened, and first- time voters should see the "track record" of those pitching for eliminating poverty.

Addressing a 'Main bhi chowkidar' event here, he also said 'Mission Shakti, demonstrating India's anti-satellite missile capability, had nothing to do with polls and hit out at those opposing his announcement of it in an address to the nation.

"The US, Russia and China did ASAT tests openly, why should we have hidden it," he said replying to question at the event that was beamed across the country at 500 places where gatherings of BJP workers, professionals, chowkidars (watchmen), traders, farmers among others listened to Modi and interacted with him through video-conferencing.

To a question from Mumbai on the Balakot air strikes, the prime minister said they were carried out by the

country's security forces and not by him.

Modi said he took the decision for the Indian Air Force (IAF) to conduct the air strikes as he thought that "the game" should be played from where terrorism is being remote-controlled.

He said Pakistan is in a fix because if it acknowledges the air strikes, it will have to accept that there was terror camp there.

"They have been saying that there are no terror camps. Now they have to hide it. They are not allowing anybody to go there. We've been told Balakot area is being reconstructed by Pakistan to show that a school is being run there, so that people can be taken there and shown that no terror camp existed there," he said.

Those abusing Modi on the air strikes are helping Pakistan with their statements, he said.

Modi also said that a government with a clear mandate was very important. India's voice is heard because

it has a majority government, he said.

Taking a dig at Congress' NYAY minimum income programme, he said, "I want to tell first-time voters that they should see the track record and not listen to their 'tape record'."

He said the country's first prime minister had expressed concern about poverty and had talked about eliminating it. "His daughter then took it ahead, the slogan (to remove poverty) as well as poverty. Her son also expanded the slogan and the country's poverty," Modi claimed.