BJP’s probable prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi targeted the Congress-led UPA Government on Wednesday and said that the country’s attention on the 67th Independence Day would be at two places — lal Quila in Delhi where Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address the nation and lalan College in Bhuj, where he would hoist the Tricolor. “On the one side (Delhi) there is disappointment and on the other (Bhuj) there is hope and optimism,” said the Gujarat Chief Minister while comparing the situation at both the places.
Interestingly, Modi’s speech on August 15 has been timed an hour after that of the Prime Minister. He will speak at 9 am at the lalan College, which has a capacity to accommodate around 30,000 people. Manmohan Singh’s speech at the Red Fort in Delhi has been scheduled at 8 am. During his address at Vivekananda Vikas Parishad, BJP’s campaign committee chief hit out at the Centre for treating Gujarat like an enemy State. “Every morning I feel scared that Delhi would remove Gujarat from the rest of India,” said Modi, adding that the Centre is treating Gujarat as enemy State.
Further hitting out at the Centre for weakening the federal structure, the Chief Minister declared that our nation stands on the strong pillars of the States and if these pillars are weakened the entire nation stands weakened. Targeting the Congress he said that Delhi Sultanate should understand that despite spitting poison against him, people of Gujarat elected his Government with thumping majority in December 2012. He pointed that the Congress will have to answer to the people of the nation in 2014 and tell the people what they have done in these years.
Praising his Government on the development of Kutch, Modi remarked that Kutch has emerged as major tourist destination and record number of tourist are visiting the bordering district. He said that youngsters from all over the nation are coming to Gujarat because of the path of development that the State has adopted. Paying tributes to all the freedom fighters who dedicated their lives to the freedom of the nation, he said that patriotism is not manifested by wearing crisp white kurtas and going to Parliament and Vidhan Sabhas, but it is manifested in even the smallest of things.
Giving an inspiring example of Mahatma Gandhi he said, “To show your love for the nation you need not do big things but you have to do small things. Mahatma Gandhi explained this very well. He taught that even if you sweep the floor or teach someone else, it is no less than patriotism.” “We did not get the opportunity to die for the nation, join the freedom’s struggle, go to jail and bear the sticks of the British. But, we have got the opportunity to live for the nation,” he said urging all the youngsters to register themselves as voters and encourage others to register as voters as well. He stressed on the need for the youth to become partners in the development.