From taking a jibe at the previous union governments for their alleged inaction on terrorism to telling the opposition parties to not play politics and weaken the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went all guns blazing against the UPA government at an event in Kanyakumari on Friday.
Speaking at a government event after inaugurating several infrastructure projects in and around Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Modi’s speech focused mainly on attacking the opposition parties and highlighting what the previous government failed to do.
“It makes every Indian proud that the brave Wing Commander Abhinandan hails from Tamil Nadu,” he said, which is in fact the first time, the Prime Minister is publicly mentioning the IAF pilot who was captured by Pakistan.
Hitting out at the opposition parties, Prime Minister said they, in their hatred for him, have started hating the country. “While the entire nation supports our armed forces, they suspect the armed forces. The world is supporting India’s fight against terror but a few parties suspect our fight against terror. These are the same people whose statements are helping Pakistan and harming India,” he said. On February 27, the opposition parties of the country issued a joint statement in relation to the recent developments in the India-Pakistan border. "The meeting of 21 parties expressed their deep anguish over the blatant politicization of the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces by leaders of the ruling party. National security must transcend narrow political considerations. The leaders observed that the Prime Minister has, regrettably, not convened an-all party meeting as per the established practice in our democracy," read a portion of the statement.
Adding that the statements made by these parties are being used in Pakistan for their own benefit, Prime Minister said, “Modi will come and go, India will remain. Please stop weakening India to strengthen your own politics.”
Strong stand against terrorism
Prime Minister Modi said that India has been facing the menace of terrorism for years now but will no longer remain helpless in the wake of terror. He also added that the country will return the damage done by terrorists with interest.
“From 2004 to 2014 there were several terror attacks. The nation expected perpetrators to be punished but nothing happened. 26/11 happened, India expected action against terrorists but nothing happened,” he said, indicating the failure of UPA government which was in power at the centre. He also took examples of the response meted out by the Indian armed forces after the Uri attack in 2016 and Pulwama attack recently.
“There was a time when the news reports would read- Air Force wanted to do surgical strike after 26/11 but UPA blocked it. Today, we are in an era where the news reads- Armed forces have full freedom to do what they want. Influence of terrorists and terrorism has been curtailed and it is going to be curtailed even more,” he said.
Adding that the recent events have brought the nation closer, Prime Minister Modi said that he bows down to every Indian who has supported the armed forces in the past few days.
The event was attended by the Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam and union minister Pon Radhakrishnan, who is also the Member of Parliament from Kanyakumari Lok Sabha constituency.
One of the projects inaugurated by the Prime Minister today was the proposed railway line between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi, which was destroyed during the super cyclone in 1964. “This line got damaged after the disaster of 1964 but for over fifty years, no attention was paid to this line. But, better late than never,” he said. He also spoke about PM Kisan scheme by which farmers are given Rs 6,000 per year, in three instalments, as support money. He said that the first instalment of the scheme has already been received by more than 1.1 crore farmers within 24 days of announcing the scheme. The scheme is modelled after Telangana's Raitha Bandhu scheme.
Other schemes praised too
He also mentioned that due to his government’s diplomatic efforts taken up with Sri Lanka since May 2014, several fishermen who were arrested by Sri Lanka were released.
Putting on record that India’s ranking for ‘Ease of Doing Business' has risen by 65 places, Prime Minister Modi said that his government has put its faith on the talent of Indian youth. “That is why, the Mudra Yojana was launched to give wings to the spirit of enterprise of young India. 15 crore people have got loans totaling worth over Rs 7 lakh crore. Tamil Nadu is one of the top states under this scheme,” he added.
‘People wanted a bold govt’: PM Modi
Referring to the clear majority that BJP got in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Modi said that no other party had achieved that feat in 30 years in Parliament. He also stated that this was a sign from the voters about the kind of government they preferred. “The people’s message was clear- they wanted a Govt that takes bold and tough decisions. People wanted honesty, not dynasty. People wanted development, not decay. People wanted progress, not policy paralysis. People wanted opportunities, not obstacles. People wanted security not stagnation. People wanted inclusive growth, not vote-bank politics,” he thundered.
Slamming the DMK-Congress combine in Tamil Nadu for the upcoming polls, Prime Minister Modi said that India remembers 2009 and how the two parties (then the UPA) allotted portfolios after the elections. “Ministers were being picked not by the Prime Minister but by those who had nothing to do with public service. There was telephone bargaining for minister posts,” he said in reference to the Nira Radia tapes.
Explaining that his government is fulfilling the dreams of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji) by creating an economy that is reform-oriented and people-friendly, Modi said that he was not in public life to further his dynasty.
“My family is 130 crore Indians. I will live for them, I will die for them. I am not in public life to further a dynasty. I am here to do whatever I can for the growth of India,” he said.