Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas on Monday said like, in the past, forces that were perturbed due to India's progress still exist and campaigns are being run to make one Indian language an enemy of another.
PM Modi's statement has come in the backdrop of controversy over the recommendation of a parliamentary panel to make Hindi the medium of instruction in central educational institutions.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the matter.
The Prime Minister was addressing a gathering on the occasion of the 147th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat's Ekta Nagar.
PM Modi said, "What would have happened if India did not have leadership like Sardar Patel? What would have happened if more than 550 princely states had not been united? If most of our kings had not shown the culmination of renunciation, then we would not have been able to imagine the India we are seeing today. Sardar Patel has achieved this work."
Prime Minister said millions of people in India had to wait for decades for basic needs. He said the smaller the gap in infrastructure, the stronger the unity.
He further said, "Like, in the past, forces that were perturbed due to India's progress exist today too. They make attempts to break and divide us. Narratives are created to pit us against each other in the name of castes. Attempts are made to divide us in the name of regions. Many times these forces rest in our mind in the form of a slavery mentality. Sometimes these come in the form of appeasement, sometimes in the form of familism and sometimes in the form of greed and corruption."
Prime Minister said these forces divide and weaken the country.
"Campaigns are run to make one Indian language an enemy of another Indian language. History is presented in a way that people do not get connected with each other but go away from each other instead," he added.
PM said the erstwhile royal families, who ruled for centuries, dedicated their rights to a new system for the country's unity. "This contribution was ignored for decades after independence. A museum will be built in Ekta Nagar, dedicated to the sacrifices of erstwhile royal families," he said.
Prime Minister expressed condolences over the loss of lives in Gujarat's Morbi after a suspension bridge collapsed on Sunday. He said the central government is extending all the help to the Gujarat government in the search and rescue operation.
"I am in Ekta Nagar but my mind is with the victims of Morbi. Rarely in my life, would I have experienced such pain. On one hand, there is a pain-riddled heart and on the other hand, there is the path to duty. All alertness is being observed even in the hospital where the injured are under treatment. Priority is being given to ensure that people face minimum problems," PM Modi said.
The suspension bridge above the Machchhu River in the Morbi district had collapsed and at least 132 deaths have been reported so far.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid floral tribute to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.
Prime Minister Modi also witnessed the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade which included contingents of the Border Security Force (BSF) and five State Police Forces, one each from Northern Zone (Haryana), Western Zone (Madhya Pradesh), Southern Zone (Telangana), Eastern Zone (Odisha) and North Eastern Zone (Tripura). Apart from the contingents, six Police Sports Medal winners of the Commonwealth Games 2022 also participated in the Parade.
Since 2014, October 31, the birthday of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is celebrated as National Unity Day to celebrate his efforts and contributions in convincing several princely states to align with the Indian Union.
( With inputs from ANI )
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