The Congress and other parties related to its culture never gave due respect to the faith, tradition and culture of Indians, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged on Saturday.
On the last day of election campaigning, Mr Modi, who was addressing an election rally at Ellenabad in Haryana's Sirsa, hit out at the Congress, saying its wrong policies destroyed the country.
Mr. Modi noted that the Kartarpur corridor was about to be completed soon. “It took seven decades to realise this dream. It is nearing completion...70 years after the freedom, this opportunity has come... What could be more unfortunate is that for nearly 70 years since Independence, devotees had to use binoculars for 'darshan' of Gurdwara Kartapur Sahib across the border,” he said
“... those who were responsible for the Partition in 1947, didn't they realise that just for a distance of four km, devotees had been kept away from the 'Guru ghar'?... After this, in 70 years, shouldn't the Congress governments have made efforts to eliminate this distance? But the Congress and other parties related to its culture had never given due respect to the faith, tradition and culture of Indians,” he stated. The same kind thought and approach was adopted by the Congress in the case of Jammu and Kashmir, he alleged.
The corridor will connect the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India's Gurdaspur district. It was in Kartarpur Sahib, Guru Nanak Dev spent last 18 years of his life. India and Pakistan agreed to set up the Kartarpur corridor in November last.
Mr. Modi accused the Congress of never making any sincere attempts to solve the problems concerning Jammu and Kashmir. “Innocents people were killed... Several of our soldiers laid their lives... 70 years passed by but Babasaheb's Constitution was not implemented there... Today, when the BJP government has taken a constructive step, Congress leaders and their associated parties are speaking against it,” he said.
“Jammu-Kashmir is not far from us.. Sleeping governments in Delhi worsened the the situation in Kashmir. In initial days, with the help of Pakistan, a part of us was snatched and Pok (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) was created. Few years later, in a well-planned manner, the 'Sufi' culture, which was developed here, was cleverly and forcefully finished to dismantle the roots of Kashmir,” he said.
“The leaders in Delhi did not see the atrocities in Kashmir. They thought that by taking care of one or two families, Kashmir will be looked after... A phase came when more than four lakh Kashmiri Pandits’ families were murdered in Kashmir, daughters were raped, and forced to leave Kashmir.” Now things have changed; the policies for Kashmir would be made by India and people of Kashmir. “People sitting in enemy countries can't any more decide on India's destiny,” he asserted.
‘India will decide policy for Kashmir’
“It will be India, which will decide about the policy for Kashmir. Wrong policies of the Congress devastated not only Kashmir but also the country. Article 370, which was implemented as per Constitution by Babasaheb, for a temporary period, kept hanging on the people of Kashmir for 70 years,” he said.
Pakistan had been trying to destabilise India by sending terrorists. And having failed, it was now sending loads of drugs into the country to spoil youth. “Our government will bring back the youth to mainstream under the project of ‘Yuva fit India’, he asserted.
Mr. Modi reiterated that the waters flowing from the rivers of India to Pakistan would be diverted towards the fields of Haryana as Indian farmers had a right on them.
Corruption was at its peak during the Congress regime in Haryana and the party used the farmers’ land to cultivate money, he said.
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