Those filled with hate, negativity defaming country: Modi

Making a veiled attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at an event on Monday (September 16) that “certain individuals filled with hate and negativity are defaming the country”.

A controversy has broken out over some comments made by Rahul in the US recently, including one on reservation, in which his comment has been twisted to imply the opposite of what he said.

Modi’s charges

Modi was speaking in Ahmedabad, where he laid the foundation stone and inaugurated various projects worth Rs 8,000 crore, flagged off the Bhuj-Ahmedabad Namo Bharat Rapid Rail, the first Vande Bharat Metro service, and five Vande Bharat express trains.

Addressing a gathering, Modi, without taking names, said they (Opposition) can “cross any limits for appeasement politics”.

“Some people filled with negativity are targeting India’s unity and integrity intending to divide the country. Those filled with hate are not leaving any chance to defame India and Gujarat,” he alleged.

“They want to break the country”

Modi further said he was insulted, jeered, and mocked by the Opposition in the past 100 days of his third term as the PM, but he focused on finishing the government’s development agenda during this period.

“When every Indian is striving to take the country forward, some filled with negativity want to destroy the unity and integrity of the country. They want to break the country into pieces (tukde, tukde).

On Article 370 in Kashmir

Amid a row over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on reservation in the US and the Congress’s poll tie-up with the National Conference, Modi said certain people filled with hate are not leaving any chance to defame the country.

“You have heard they want to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, they want to bring back two Constitutions and two laws in (poll-bound) Jammu and Kashmir,” Modi said.

On 100 days of government

He claimed that in the first 100 days (of the BJP government’s third term), they (the Opposition) made fun of him, and jeered and insulted him. “People were surprised by my silence,” the prime minister said.

Modi said he has decided to sacrifice himself for the people. “If I live, I live for you, if I struggle, I struggle for you, and if I sacrifice myself, it will be for you,” he added.

Row over reservation

The BJP has accused Rahul of making “anti-reservation” remarks in the US and termed them as “treason”.

Rahul, during a recent visit to the US, said the Congress would think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place, which is not the case right now. Soon, the BJP started claiming that Rahul had said the Congress would end reservations.

Rahul later clarified at a press interaction in the US that he had been misquoted. “Somebody misquoted me saying that I am against reservation. I have been saying again and again and again, we are going to increase reservations beyond 50 per cent.”

(With agency inputs)