Kevadiya (Gujarat), 31 October (IANS). Addressing the National Unity Day program in Kevadiya, Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that this time National Unity Day has brought a wonderful coincidence. On one hand today we are celebrating the festival of unity, on the other hand it is also a holy festival of Diwali.
The Prime Minister further said that Diwali connects and illuminates the entire country through lamps. The festival of Diwali is also connecting the country with the world. In many countries it is being celebrated as a national festival. I wish many happy Diwali to all the Indians living in the country and the world, to the well-wishers of India.
He said that this time Unity Day is special for another reason also. The 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel is starting from today. The country will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Patel for the coming two years. This is the countrymen’s tribute to his extraordinary contribution towards India. This two-year celebration will strengthen our resolve of ‘One India, Best India’. This opportunity will teach us that even seemingly impossible tasks can be made possible. When India got independence, there were some people in the world who were assessing the disintegration of India. They had no hope that a single India would be created again by uniting hundreds of princely states. But Sardar Saheb did it. This was possible because Sardar Saheb was realistic in behavior, truthful in resolution, humanitarian in action and nationalist in goal.
He said that the spirit of discrimination in the policies and intentions of the previous governments has also been weakening the unity of the country. In the last 10 years, the new model of good governance in the country has eliminated every scope for discrimination. We have chosen the path of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. Today, efforts are being made to provide water without discrimination under the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ scheme. Today everyone gets PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Let’s meet today at PM’s residence. Today the benefits of Ayushman Yojana are available without any discrimination. This approach of the government has ended the dissatisfaction prevalent in the society and among the people for decades. Because of this, people’s trust in the government has increased, trust in the country’s systems has increased. This unity of development and faith gives impetus to the creation of ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’.
PM Modi said that in the last 10 years, India has resolved many issues which were a threat to national unity. Today, the masters of terrorists know that if they cause harm to India, India will not spare them. You see how big the crisis was in the North East. We quenched the fire of separation through dialogue, development and trust. Bodo Accord has ended 50 years of dispute in Assam. We have resolved the border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya to a great extent. When the history of the 21st century will be written, there will be a golden chapter in it about how India uprooted the terrible disease like Naxalism in the second and third decades.
Today the world is watching how India is solving its problems with strength. Today the world is watching how India, united, is ending decades-old challenges, so we have to preserve our unity at this important time.
–IANS
AKS/AKJ
