Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he was on a mission like the 17th century Maratha King Shivaji and was seeking a third term not for political gain but to pursue that mission, stressing that the last 10 years were only a “phase” and “many more big decisions remain to be taken”.

Modi exhorted party leaders and cadres at the BJP national convention to work with renewed vigour for the next 100 days and aim for “abki baar 400 paar”, a slogan he has coined setting the NDA a target of winning over 400 Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming elections.

Modi’s concluding address came after the party convention passed a resolution asserting that the opening of the Ram temple in Ayodhya heralded the establishment of “Ram Rajya” in India for the next 1,000 years.

“The construction of a grand and divine temple of Lord Shri Ram at his birthplace in the ancient holy city of Ayodhya is a historic and glorious achievement for the country. This heralds the establishment of ‘Ram Rajya’ in India for the next 1,000 years with the beginning of a new ‘Kalachakra’ (time cycle),” the resolution said.

Amid slogans of “Modi ji ko Jai Shri Ram” and “Abki baar 400 paar”, Modi came to address the party conclave at the newly built Bharat Mandapam to charge up the party machinery for the electoral battle.

Modi was called to address the gathering after a theme song was played. It stressed: “Dushit sab itihas badal dein, aao hum itihas badal dein (Change all the corrupted history; Come, let’s change history).”

“We are followers of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji didn’t relax after getting crowned as the king. He continued his mission,” Modi said, addressing thousands of party leaders and cadres.

“Taking inspiration from him (Shivaji)… I am not seeking a third term to rejoice in power. I have set out on a mission.… The last 10 years were only a phase to instil faith about reaching the destination…. Many more dreams remain to be achieved and for that many more decisions remain to be taken,” he added amid loud chants of “Modi hai toh mumkin hai (With Modi, it is possible)”.

Modi had earlier in his speech claimed that “one big leader” had advised him to relax after such a long and illustrious public life. “That leader offered me political advice but I am working for ‘rashtraniti’ and not ‘rajniti’,” he said.

He claimed his mission was to achieve a “Vikshit Bharat” or developed India by 2047 and projected himself as someone who had devoted his life to the service of the nation and its people. “If I had thought of my own home, it would not have been possible to build homes for crores of people,” he said.

He told the party that to achieve the dream of a developed India, he needed to get another five-year term with a thumping majority. “The next five years are going to be crucial. We have to take a big leap towards a developed India. For that, the first imperative is to ensure the return of the BJP to power with a big majority,” he said.

Modi said that to achieve the target of “NDA sarkar 400 paar”, the BJP must cross the “milestone of 370 seats”. He asked party cadres to get in touch with all those who had stayed away from the BJP so far and seek their support, stressing the slogan “sabka saath, sabka vikas”.

Modi said his past 10 years had been of “sahashik” (courageous) and “durgami” (long-term) decisions and went on to highlight the construction of the Ram temple among many such achievements.

“We ended the five-century wait of the people and constructed the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The religious flag has been hoisted in Pavagadh, Gujarat, after 500 years. After seven decades, we opened the Kartarpur Sahib Highway. After waiting for seven decades, the country has got freedom from Article 370,” he said.

Modi said that “duniya ka har desh, har shakti (every country in the world, every power)” knew that “aayega toh Modi hi (Modi will come back)” and claimed he had received invitations from countries to visit them after the poll results.

“Chunav hai isliye nahi bolna chahta, lekin July, August, September ke date pade hue mere nimantran ke (I don’t want to say because the polls are coming, but the invitations to me are for dates in July, August and September),” he said.

“What does that indicate?” he asked, adding that it proved that the world felt sure he would win a third straight term.

Modi seemed to drop a hint about contesting from a seat in south India, claiming that during his visits to the south ahead of the Ram temple consecration, he had sensed he enjoyed a huge popularity that “political pundits” would not be able to fathom.

Attacking the Congress, Modi said it was a source of “instability, nepotism, corruption and also appeasement” and that it was the responsibility of each BJP worker to fight the party. Modi claimed the Congress was undergoing an “intense internal strife” that was not related to ideology.

“One section of the Congress favoured a sharp hatred towards Modi, to make efforts to tarnish Modi’s image. While the other section, in line with the Congress’s fundamental principles, wants that personal attack on Modi should be avoided and that such a line would harm the party,” Modi said.

He claimed that despondency had befallen the Congress. He accused the Congress and its allies of conspiring to divide the country over “language and region”.

The BJP convention passed a resolution titled “BJP-Desh ki aasha, Vipaksha hatasha (The BJP is the country’s hope, the Opposition is in despair)”. Speaking on the topic, home minister Amit Shah likened the upcoming polls to the Mahabharat war and claimed the voters had already made up their minds to re-elect Modi.

He said that while Modi was working for the poor and the country’s development, INDIA bloc leaders were only focused on making their family members Prime Ministers and chief ministers.