Recalling the 2019 Balakot airstrike, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the enemy knows that the new India is not shy of entering its territory to give a befitting reply to acts of terror.
Addressing an election rally at Churu in Rajasthan, Mr. Modi said the Congress was soft on terrorism when it was in power, and kept the hands of soldiers tied.
Attacking the Congress for “not allowing” the Army to respond to the enemy’s attacks, he said: “The soldiers kept demanding ‘one rank, one pension’, but it did nothing. My government gave a free hand to the Army to retaliate and teach a lesson to the enemies on the borders. The new India is today capable of killing the enemy.”
Also read | Lok Sabha elections updates — April 5
Mr. Modi reprimanded the Congress for demanding proof of the 2016 surgical strike by the Army in Pakistan, and said the Opposition party had insulted the armed forces and divided the country by its stance. “This is the true identity of the Congress party. It had the audacity to question our Army and demand proof of bravery,” he said.
The Prime Minister reminisced his visit to Churu on February 26, 2019, shortly after the airstrike across the Line of Control in Pakistan. Then he had addressed a public meeting in the town and recited a Hindi poem, “Saugandh mujhe is mitti ki...” (I swear by my land), written by lyricist Prasoon Joshi for the BJP’s election campaign in 2014.
He recited the same poem on Friday, as the people cheered and clapped.
Calling upon the people to vote for BJP candidate and paralympics player Devendra Jhajharia in Churu, Mr. Modi attacked the Opposition’s alliance and said the members of the INDIA bloc had called Lord Ram “imaginary”. “The Congress has openly insulted our faith by questioning the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. It has even issued an advisory asking the party workers to stay tight-lipped if there is any discussion on Ram temple.”
‘10 years a trailer’
Mr. Modi also targeted the Congress over its manifesto released on Friday, saying the BJP had brought out a ‘Sankalp Patra’ (document of resolve) for elections, rather than just an announcement, as done by the Opposition party. He said the nation’s economy had collapsed before the BJP came to power, because of the “corruption and loot” of the Congress.
Supporters at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s public meeting in Churu, Rajasthan, on April 5, 2024. | Photo Credit: PTI
The Prime Minister said the development works taken up by his government in the last 10 years were “a trailer and a lot more is yet to come”. The BJP has a lot of dreams for the nation and has resolved to take it far ahead with the people’s support, he said.
The whole world was amazed at the fast pace of India’s development, Mr. Modi said, adding that most of the guarantees he gave in 2019 had been fulfilled. Referring to the works done in Rajasthan, he said the newly elected BJP government had revived the stalled Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project and signed a landmark agreement with Haryana for bringing the Yamuna waters to the State.
