Hate-filled individuals out to destroy India's unity and defame it, says PM Modi

AHMEDABAD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday alleged some individuals filled with hate and negativity are out to destroy India's unity and integrity, remarks coming in the backdrop of controversial statements made by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the US.

During his first visit to his home state Gujarat after assuming office for a third straight term on June 9, Modi laid the foundation stone or inaugurated various projects worth Rs 8,000 crore, including the flagging off of Bhuj-Ahmedabad Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, the first Vande Bharat metro service, and five Vande Bharat express trains, in Ahmedabad.

Addressing a gathering, the PM, without taking names, said they (Opposition) can cross any limits for politics of appeasement.

"Some people filled with negativity are targeting India's unity and integrity, intending to divide the country. Those filled with hate are not leaving any chance to defame India and Gujarat," he alleged.

Modi further remarked that he was insulted, jeered, and mocked by the Opposition in the first 100 days of his third term, but he remained single-mindedly focused on finishing the government's development agenda during this period.

"When every Indian is striving to take the country forward, some filled with negativity want to destroy the unity and integrity of the country. They want to divide (do tukde, tukde of) the country," he maintained.

Amid a row over Opposition leader Gandhi's remarks on the Sikh community and reservation during his US visit and the Congress' pre-poll tie-up with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir, Modi said certain people filled with hate are not leaving any chance to defame the country.

"You have heard they want to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, they want to bring back two Constitutions and two laws in (poll-bound) J&K," Modi noted, two days ahead of the first phase of voting in the Union Territory.

Modi said in the first 100 days (of the BJP-led NDA government's third term), they (the Opposition) made fun of him, and jeered and insulted him.

"People were surprised by my silence," the prime minister pointed out.

Modi asserted he has decided to sacrifice himself for the people.

"If I live, I live for you, if I struggle, I struggle for you, and if I sacrifice myself, it will be for you," he told the gathering.

The BJP has accused Gandhi of making "anti-reservation" remarks in the US and termed them as “treason”. The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, speaking at the prestigious Georgetown University in the US, had alleged the recent parliamentary elections were not fought on the same footing.

“The Election Commission was doing what they wanted. The entire campaign was structured so that Mr Modi could carry out his agenda across the country, with different designs for different states,” Gandhi had claimed.

Earlier in the day, Modi interacted with beneficiaries of the 'PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijlee Yojna' in the Vavol area of Gujarat capital Gandhinagar.

He arrived at Shalin-2 society at around 10am and interacted with people from several households who have installed solar panels on rooftops as part of the ambitious central government scheme launched on February 29 with an outlay of Rs 75,021 crore.

The PM spent 20 minutes at the residential complex.

The scheme, which aims to increase the share of solar rooftop capacity and empower residential households to generate their own electricity, provides subsidy of 60 per cent of the solar unit cost for systems up to 2kW capacity and 40 percent of additional cost for systems between 2 to 3kW capacity.

During his Gujarat visit, Modi also chaired a meeting of the Shree Somnath Trust in Gandhinagar in his capacity as its chairperson, an official said.

The Trust manages the world famous Somnath Temple in the state dedicated to Lord Shiva.

The meeting was held at Raj Bhavan on Sunday night and the PM took stock of the development works being undertaken by the Trust, a PIB release informed.

In a post on X, the PM later said, "In Gandhinagar, chaired a meeting of the Shree Somnath Trust. We took stock of ways to enhance the experience for pilgrims and further improve the various facilities."

The meeting was also attended by former Gujarat bureaucrat PK Laheri and businessman Harshvardhan Neotia, both of whom are trustees.

Three other trustees - BJP leader LK Advani, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat-based scholar JD Parmar could not attend either due to health issues or prior commitments, Laheri told PTI.

Vishad Padmanabh Mafatlal, who attended the meeting, was appointed as a trustee, Laheri added.

Modi was appointed chairperson of the Trust in January 2021.