Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for a unified front across the country supportive of the armed forces who he said were defending the borders with utmost valour and cautioned against any act that might diminish the morale of the forces.
“When an enemy country wants to destabilise India, when they attack us in terror strikes, their main aim is to cripple our speed of our progress, that our country comes to a standstill. Every Indian should stand like a rock in front of their aims, they will have to acknowledge that this country will neither stop nor will it’s progress,” said Mr. Modi in his opening remarks during a video chat with over a crore BJP booth level workers.
The chat, that lasted a little over two hours, took place amid criticism by the opposition that Mr. Modi was continuing with his political programmes despite the crisis arising out of Indian air strikes within Pakistan and Pakistan’s capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
Speaking further on the crisis, Mr Modi said that at this time people’s feelings were engaged at a “different level” with forces deployed at the border.
“The world is looking at our collective will and we have the utmost confidence in our armed forces. Nothing should be done to lower the morale of the country and forces, no opportunity given to our enemies to lift a finger at us,” he said. “India will live as one, India will work as one, India will grow as one, India will fight as one, India will win as one,” he said.
Mr. Modi also told party workers to engage only positively in social media, and to delete negative posts “not only from your phones but from your minds.” He said that there were “three rules by which to engage with social media as a BJP person, one is positivity, the second was honesty and the third was accuracy.”
The Prime Minister then proceeded to chat with BJP workers at different locations, answering questions posed to him, including one from a party worker in West Bengal on the possible effect of the opposition unity Mahagathbandhan.
“First of all please refer to this grouping as Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) but as Mahamilawat (grand adulteration). Parties that can’t otherwise see eye to eye are coming together. This is nothing but an exercise in demonstrating the existential crisis of the Congress that, after the grand declaration at Panchmarhi in 1998 that it would go it alone, is now tagging itself to smaller parties as a junior partner.
“It has also become a fashion to say that a vulnerable or coalition government would be good for the country, you should dispel that myth and work for a decisive government. This Grand Adulteration will lead the country into an Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” he answered.
To a question on the NDA’s prospects in the south, he expressed confidence that the NDA’s alliance with the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu will see the party posting a good performance there.
“Media likes to say many things about us including that the BJP will not win in the southern states. We proved them wrong in Karnataka in 2008. Our government has worked hard to provide development and serve the people of the whole country, and the people of the southern states desirous of progress will acknowledge this,” he said.
He also revealed that his gesture of washing the feet of safai karamcharis who were working at the Prayagraj Kumbh was one of acknowledging people belonging to Dalit sections of the population.
“I wanted to show my appreciation for the cleanliness that has bee maintained at the Kumbh this year, but in the past too I have acknowledged the contribution of this section of society. When first elected as Chief Minister of Gujarat, officials asked me about which family member of mine would carry the Kalash (ritual urn) into the chief ministerial abode. I told them to find any girl child of a Dalit class IV employee and get her to bless the CM’s residence,” he said.
