Marking the culmination of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav at Kartavya Path in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the celebration of about 1000 days became a people’s movement and saw India notch up several achievements such as becoming the fifth largest economy and the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.

He also reiterated the resolve to make India a developed country by 2047 and urged the youth to work towards it. Modi said the Dandi Yatra brought people together, and similarly the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav made new history with the scale of people’s participation.

Highlighting how every citizen is deeply rooted in the soil of the motherland, he said, “What is life if it is not repaying the debts of the soil of India.”

This will remind everyone of the sentiment of Kartavya or duty and inspire each one to accomplish the resolve of a “Viksit Bharat”, he added.

Earlier in the day, in an apparent reference to the Opposition’s grand alliance, INDIA, Modi cautioned against those who engage in appeasement politics, asserting that such methods run counter to the interests of the country. Modi emphasised that the politics of appeasement poses the biggest obstacle to the country’s development journey, and he warned about “a very large political class” that seems unable to engage in positive politics, often compromising the country’s unity for their own selfish goals.

This message was an obvious reference to certain States governed by the Opposition parties, such as Bihar, Rajasthan, and others, undertaking a caste census survey based on the Congress’ theory of “Jitni Abadi Utna Haq”.

“The biggest hindrance in our development journey is the politics of appeasement. The last many decades in India bear witness to the fact that appeasers turn a blind eye to terrorism, its horrors, and its monstrosity. They do not hesitate to stand side by side with the enemies of humanity,’” said the PM, addressing a gathering at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat’s Narmada district, after paying floral tribute to Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary, celebrated as National Unity Day.

Modi said people have to remain cautious of such thinking which puts the unity at risk at every moment and in every corner of the country.

“They (appeasers) neglect investigating terrorist activities and avoid taking strict action against anti-national elements. The appeasement mindset is so dangerous that it reaches the court to save the terrorists. Such thinking cannot benefit any community. This can never be of any benefit to the country,” he said.

“In the last nine years, India’s internal security has been getting challenges from multiple fronts, but because of the hard work of security forces, the enemies of the country are not being able to succeed like they did in the past,” Modi said

Modi said there is a “very large political class” in the country which does not see any way of doing positive politics. “Unfortunately, this political class is adopting such tactics which are against the society and the country. For this political class, their selfishness is paramount even if it means that the unity of the country breaks,” he said.

Such a political class is trying to achieve its political goals “by hurting the unity of the country,” the Prime Minister said.

“Only if the country remains alert about these will it be able to achieve its development goals. Efforts to maintain the unity of the country should not be abandoned even for a moment. We have to continuously live the mantra of unity, and contribute continuously to realise it,” Modi said.

People have still not forgotten those periods when they were filled with doubt when entering crowded markets, public places and places of economic activities, he said.

“There were conspiracies to halt the country’s development by targeting them. People have seen the destruction caused by bomb blasts and also the sluggishness of the then government in the name of investigation,” he said, adding that people should not let the country slide to that period. The people of the country need to know, recognise and understand, and be cautious of those who are attacking the country’s unity, PM Modi said.

Modi also referred to the abrogation of Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile State of Jammu & Kashmir. “The world is surprised to see India’s ability in the G20. We are proud that we are taking the world’s largest democracy to a new height. We are proud that amidst various global crises, our borders are safe, and in the next few years we will become the third largest economic power,” he said.

The PM said in the Amrit Kaal India has taken a pledge to move ahead by shedding the mindset of slavery. “Due to the chaos in the world and the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation in some countries is at the highest point in 30-40 years and there is also unemployment. In such circumstances, India’s flag continues to fly high,”  said Modi.

The PM also laid the foundation stone of a sub-district hospital with a trauma centre and a solar panel at Ekta Nagar for which he also coined as green city.