Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a public meeting in Mumbai.
Credit: PTI photo
Mumbai: Wrapping up his campaign trail at the historic Shivaji Park in Mumbai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a strong message against terrorism that even the “masters of terror” know Modi would not spare them even in hell.
Modi also accused the Congress of speaking “language of destruction” and coining terms like “saffron terrorism”.
The statement against terrorism assumes significance as it comes just days ahead of the 16th anniversary of the Mumbai 26/11 attacks.
“The city of Mumbai has suffered from terrorism for a long time. The people here have not forgotten the wounds inflicted by terrorism,” said Modi in what was a reference to terror attacks in Mumbai like the 1993 serial blasts, train blasts and the 2008 attacks.
“But over the years, a sense of security has developed in people's minds. Because then the government was different, today there is Modi,” he said.
Amidst the chants of “Modi Modi” in the background he went on to add, “You have to think why terrorist incidents kept happening across the country including Mumbai during the Congress government regime.
"Everywhere you were scared of unclaimed objects. But now all this has stopped. Because today there is a Modi government in the country and the masters of terror know that if they do anything against India, against Mumbai, then Modi will not leave them even in hell.”
Modi also hit out at Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray, albeit without naming him.
“There is a party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi which has handed over its remote control to the Congress which insulted Balasaheb Thackeray. That is why I challenged them to get the Congress to praise Balasaheb Thackeray. Till date these people have not been able to get the Congress and the shahzade of Congress to praise Balasaheb,” he said in what was an attack on Rahul Gandhi.
Launching a broadside against the grand old party, Modi said, “The mood of Congress is just opposite to that of Mumbai. Mumbai's spirit means honesty and hard work. The mood of Mumbai means the desire to move forward.
"But the nature of Congress is corruption. The Congress’ nature is to push the country backwards. It is the nature of Congress to create obstacles in development.”
“Mumbai is a city that believes in connecting people. Unfortunately, the Congress and the Maha Vikas Aghadi seem focused on dividing them instead. People from all communities live in harmony in Mumbai, but the Maha Aghadi is busy inciting tensions between different castes,” he said.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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