Must thwart attempts to divide India: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday cautioned against attempts by vested interests to fragment the society along caste, religious and linguistic lines, emphasising that national unity and social cohesion are essential for India's goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

- HT Correspondent

Speaking via video conference at the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Shri Swaminarayan Temple in Gujarat, Modi stressed on the importance of unity in the face of divisive agendas, urging collective action to safeguard national integrity.

"Unity among citizens and integrity of the nation is important to make India a developed nation by 2047. Some forces are working to divide our society on the basis of caste, faith, language, social status, gender, and the rural-urban divide. We must recognise the gravity of these attempts by those who seek to harm our nation, understand the threat they pose, and work collectively to defeat such divisive acts," Modi said.

"We have to understand the seriousness of the intentions of these anti-nationals and will have to unite to defeat them," he said in his address via video conferencing. The first key step to make India a developed nation is "atmanaribharta" (self-reliance), he added. Later in the day, Modi said the Congress was trying to break the collective strength of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other backward classes by creating divisions among them to weaken their voice and eventually end the reservation for them, calling for unity among these communities.

"That's why I keep saying 'ek rahenge, toh safe rahenge (if you remain united, you will be safe)," he said while interacting with Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Jharkhand through the NaMo app.

The comments came in the middle of a heated campaign for assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. In the former, a BJP-led coalition is looking to retain power while in the latter, the Opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) hopes to win a second consecutive term.

In both states, the debate around a caste census - a key demand by the Opposition - is among the main campaign issues.