Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday appealed to the Maoists to shun violence as “violence cannot provide a solution to anything."
Addressing a public rally in Dantewada district of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, which has significant presence of Maoists, the Prime Minister said, “I appeal to the Maoists to spend a few days with those who have lost their dear ones to Maoists’ violence. Spend some time with the families destroyed by your (Maoists') violence and you will realise that you are on a wrong path.”
Citing examples of Panjab unrest, and Naxalbari in West Bengal — where the first Maoists’ uprising had taken place, Mr. Modi said, “I have a strong belief that if Panjab can be free from terror and Naxalbari can be free from Maoism, then one day Bastar will be free from this Macabre drama of death. Chhattisgarh will be number one State in the country if Maoism vanishes from the State.”
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The Prime Minister inaugurated a mega steel plant at village Dilmili in Dantewada and an extension of the 140-km Rowghat-Jagdalpur railway line (second phase) on Saturday.
Highlighting the need for employment to the youth of Bastar, Mr. Modi said no parents would like their children to go thousands of kilometers away in search of employment.
He stressed on the need to produce steel in India rather than exporting iron ore and blamed previous governments for “slow progress” in utilizing Bastar’s rich resources.
Targets Congress
Without naming the Congress party, the PM unleashed a scathing attack on the opposition party.
“There are people who enjoyed keeping the people of this country poor and miserable. They could not digest power for 60 years and now they are unable to deal with the defeat. After being rejected by the people, they are misleading the nation,” said Mr. Modi.
“When I came to Bastar a year ago, the newspapers would be flooded with scams and corruption stories every single day. Has a single case of corruption appeared (in media) in last one year of my government? The nation can be served honestly,” the Prime Minister added and assured that he and his government would repay the “love and trust” reposed by the people in his government “with full interest.”
‘Learn from failures’
Interacting with schoolchildren at Education City at Javanga town in Dantewada district of south Chhattisgarh, Mr. Modi advised them to have a clear goal in their lives and work hard towards achieving it.
“Difficulties and failures are a part of life. I have faced failures at every step in my life. But you should learn from your failures. Those who don’t learn from their failures, never succeed in their lives,” he said, while answering a question from Kishan Mandavi, a Class IX student from Dantewada.
Asked if he did not get tired after 18 hours of work every day, the Prime Minister said, “I don’t count how many hours I work every day. You don’t get tired if you like your work. I consider 125 crore people of India as my family and work for them. You cannot get tired when you’re working for your own people.”
To a question on what he would have loved to be in his life if not a politician, Mr. Modi said that he would have loved to remain a child.
(With inputs from Devesh Pandey)