Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday paid a floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 149th birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. PM Modi is currently on a two-day visit to the state.
A grand event was organised for the ‘Rashtriya Ekta Diwas’ celebrations, marking Patel’s birth anniversary every year on October 31. He also attended the Unity of Parade Ground in Kevadia.
While addressing the crowd, PM Modi said, “This time the National Unity Day has brought a wonderful coincidence. On one hand, today we are celebrating the festival of unity and on the other hand, it is also the festival of Deepawali.”
The festival of lights, he added, not only “illuminates the country” but has begun to link India with the rest of the world. His statement was made the day after US President Joe Biden hosted a celebration of Diwali at the White House on Wednesday, which drew over 600 distinguished Indian Americans. “It (Diwali) is being celebrated as a national festival in many countries,” he said.
‘One Nation, One Election’
He reaffirmed that the “One Nation, One Election” plan from the centre, which seeks to coordinate all elections on one day or within a given time frame, will soon be approved and made a reality.
Later this year, the proposal will be put to the Winter Session of Parliament after being approved by the cabinet earlier this year.
“We are now working towards ‘One Nation, One Election’, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give the optimum outcome of India’s resources and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India. Today, India is moving towards ‘One Nation, One Civil Code’, which is a secular civil code,” he said.
Article 370: “Buried Forever”
The Prime Minister stated that Article 370 had been “buried forever” while addressing its repeal in 2019. “Those who preach the Constitution insult it the most,” he said, mocking the Opposition.
He claimed that 70 years after India gained its independence, the goal of establishing one constitution was now achieved. “This is my biggest tribute to Sardar Saheb. For 70 years, Baba Saheb Ambedkar’s Constitution was not implemented in the entire country. Those who chant the name of the Constitution have insulted it so much. The reason was the wall of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 has been buried forever,” he said.
“No Threat to National Security”
PM Modi said that throughout the last 10 years of his government’s tenure in office, a number of risks to national security have been eradicated. “Terrorists’ ‘masters’ now know that harming India won’t yield results, as India won’t spare them,” he stated.
He asserted that “dialogue, trust, and development” had solved the problems plaguing the country’s northeastern regions.
“The Bodo and Bru-Reang agreements have established peace and stability. The National Liberation Front of Tripura’s accord has ended long-standing unrest. India is moving forward with peace, development, and prosperity. We have resolved the border dispute between Assam and Meghalaya to a large extent,” he noted.
Closer Ties with India
He noted that countries are forming closer ties with India, even as others grow more distant amid ongoing conflicts. Describing Indians as “sensitive and vigilant,” PM Modi remarked that citizens understand the value of both strength and peace.
“It is not normal for India to emerge as a vishwabandhu when there is a crisis of relations in different countries of the world. When the distance between one country and another is increasing in the world, then the countries of the world are getting closer to India. This is not normal; this is a new history being created. Today, the world is seeing how India is solving its problems with determination,” he said.
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