Modi calls for removing fear among minorities
New Delhi: Set to begin his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a major outreach to the minorities and asked the newly-elected MPs of the BJP and its NDA allies to gain their trust by breaching the “illusion of fear” instilled in them by certain parties because of vote bank politics.
He underscored that everyone would have to be taken along for the country’s progress and cited the example of the first war of Independence in 1857 when members of all communities worked “shoulder-to-shoulder” to get freedom from the British rule.
“We have to re-ignite that spirit to attain self-dependence and remove poverty,” Modi said while addressing the newly-elected Lok Sabha members of the BJP and its allies in the Central Hall of the Parliament.
Accusing the opposition parties of keeping the minorities confused and frightened, instead of working for the improvement of their education and healthcare, Modi said, “Unfortunately, minorities of this country have been kept in fear, used in elections. We have to end this cycle…We have to breach the illusion of fear and insecurity.”
Insisting that his government would be working for 130 crore people of the country without discriminating against anyone, Modi underlined the need for winning the trust and confidence of the minorities.
“Those who vote for us are a part of us. The ones who don’t, are also a part of us,” the Prime Minister said, stressing that no one must be left behind and there should be no discrimination.
“We have worked for ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, now we have to strive for ‘Sabka Vishwas,” Modi added.
The Prime Minister said it would have been good for the country if the minorities had been given equal role in the economic and social development of the country.
“But for the sake of vote bank politics, minorities are kept in the illusion of fear and insecurity. They were kept away from everything. They were used during elections. We have to breach that deceit. We have to gain their trust,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister, while invoking the architect of the Constitution B.R. Ambedkar, said that people from every caste and community equally participated in the first war of Independence in 1857.
“In 2022, the country will celebrate 75 years of Independence. It is the responsibility of every elected parliamentarian to reignite the spirit of 1857 for strengthening unity and integrity of the nation,” Modi said.
“In 1857, we fought for freedom. Today, we have to fight for ‘swarajya’ and to free the country from poverty. We have to move shoulder-to-shoulder without discriminating on the basis of caste, sect and religion,” he said.
Modi also said that poor people of this country have been cheated.
He said that minorities were kept in illusion in a similar way like the opposition had cheated poor people of the society by not empowering them during their tenure.
Modi said that his government would be working for eradicating poverty from the country.
In a constitutional democracy like India, it’s very important to remove any fear among minorities. However, when a minority community of Hindus were attacked and thrown out of Kashmiri valley, we failed to uphold these principles. The ‘secular’ parties and media outlets totally failed to confront religious bigotry of Kashmiri muslim. There is no justice to Pandits even after decades. This has negatively impacted secular nature of our society. Be it a muslim in Karnataka or Hindu in Kashmir, we need to protect all minorities.