Informist, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024

NEW DELHI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said some powers from within and outside India were worried about the country's rise and “want to send a wrong message to global investors”.

"Some perverted powers are worried about India's rise,” the prime minister said while addressing a gathering near the Statue of Unity at Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, after paying floral tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first home minister of independent India, on his birth anniversary, marked as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas, or National Unity Day.

"Within India and outside, such people are trying to create instability and anarchy," he said. "They want the wrong message to go to global investors."

Asserting that “these people are targeting the forces and running misinformation campaigns”, Modi said, “They are trying to divide in the name of caste. They aim to weaken India's society and unity. They don't want India to be developed because the politics of 'poor India, weak India' suits them... They want to hurt India’s economic interests. They want to send a wrong message to foreign investors by portraying a negative image of the nation in the world.

“So they are breaking India in the name of the Constitution. We have to identify this alliance of 'urban Naxals' and fight against them... the world is watching how India is resolving its issues. So we have to protect our unity... we have to identify this alliance of 'urban Naxals' and fight them."

While Modi did not name any country or organisation, it was clear to political observers that he was targeting the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, in particular the Congress. "Urban Naxals" is a trope that has been created and used by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, to tar liberals, particularly those working for the social and economic uplift of workers, farmers, and other backward sections.

Modi underlined that the emphasis on Indian languages under the new National Education Policy, including granting classical status to Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit, had been warmly welcomed and reinforces national unity.

He said that along with languages, connectivity projects like expanding rail networks to Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast, high-speed internet access to Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and mobile networks in mountainous areas were bridging rural and urban divides. “This modern infrastructure ensures that no region feels left behind, fostering a stronger sense of unity across India,” he said.

The prime minister commended some of the government initiatives, including “One Nation, One Identity” through Aadhaar, and additional efforts to establish “One Nation” models like the Goods and Services Tax and the National Ration Card.

“As part of our efforts for unity, we are now working on 'One Nation, One Election' and 'One Nation, One Civil Code',” Modi said.

Hailing the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir as a milestone for India’s unity, he said: “For the first time, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir took the oath under the Indian Constitution," he said. Terming the abrogation of Article 370 "a major milestone for India’s unity", Modi praised the “patriotic spirit of the people of Jammu and Kashmir for rejecting separatism and terrorism, and standing by the Constitution and democracy of India.”

The prime minister also underlined the steps taken to address national security and social harmony, and the progress made in resolving long-standing conflicts in the Northeast. He emphasised how the Bodo Agreement had ended 50 years of conflict in Assam, and how the Bru-Reang Agreement allowed thousands of displaced individuals to return home to Mizoram. End

Reported by Shahid K. Abbas

Edited by Rajeev Pai

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