This election is for Modi’s mission, not ambition, says PM; dares Congress to restore Article 370

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the ongoing Lok Sabha elections were not for satisfying his personal ambitions, but for fulfilling his “mission.” A strong and stable government was important not only for the country but also for the world, he said at a poll rally in Junagadh in Gujarat.

“These elections are not for my ambition, as people have fulfilled that ambition in 2014. The 2024 elections are for Modi’s mission,” the PM said. Accusing the opposition Congress of having a “dangerous mentality”, Modi said its manifesto is written in the language of Muslim League.

For Congress, this election was all about saving its existence and the party was taking help of its “Mazhabi vote bank” to stay afloat, the prime minister claimed. In his address, he challenged the Congress to restore Article 370 in Jammu-Kashmir, abolish the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the law that bans triple talaq.

“I have buried Article 370. It is gone now. I want to challenge the Congress’ royal family and its ‘shehzada’ (a jibe at the Gandhi family and Rahul Gandhi) that if it is your hidden agenda, then come out in the open and tell people you will restore Article 370,” he said.

“I want to see how much courage they (Congress) have to insult the Constitution drafted by Babasaheb Ambedkar. You (Congress) will fail because this (standing in your way) is Modi,” the PM asserted.

Referring to the controversy surrounding the Katchatheevu island, he said during the Congress rule, the Union government had no idea about the exact number of islands India had. “I then got a satellite survey done and found that we have 1,300 islands. Some of them are as big as Singapore. We will develop some of them for tourism purposes,” said Modi.

A Congress leader had recently spoken about separating south India and forming a new nation, while those in the opposition INDI alliance also make statements on similar lines, he said. “Congress leaders have inherited this mentality of partition. It was the Congress which accepted the country’s partition for the sake of power,” he said.

The Congress had gifted Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka nearly 30 years ago as it was their personal property, he said.

“If Sardar Patel was not present, Junagadh would have gone to Pakistan. The Congress will create a dangerous situation for the country if it comes to power. They may give away the Kutch desert claiming no one lives there,” he said.

The Congress just does not care and had given away several uninhabited islands, the PM pointed out, adding “if given a free hand” that party will “sell off the Himalayan peaks”.

Attacking Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over a recent remark pertaining to Lord Ram and Lord Shiva, the PM said the opposition party had declared this election is a fight against Lord Ram. “The Congress president said his objective was to defeat Lord Ram and that Lord Shiva will defeat Lord Ram. What are they thinking? The Mughals destroyed Ram Temple in Ayodhya and Somnath Temple with this same mentality,” the PM asserted.

Speaking about reservation for Muslims, Modi said after Independence it was decided following careful deliberations that religion-based quotas would not be given. “Those deliberations went on for months. And no BJP or RSS leader was in the picture. Learned Congress leaders as well as Babasaheb Ambedkar took part in the discussion. After deliberations, they decided reservation will not be granted on the basis of religion,” he said.

The Congress now wants to snatch such quota and give it to others, Modi said.