In an indirect reference to the success of recent surgical strikes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the “Vijaya Dashami” this year will be “very special” for the country. At the same time, he advised Pakistan not to feel threatened by India, saying the neighbouring country should not feel threatened if India strengthens itself.
“We will celebrate Vijaya Dashami in the coming days. This year’s Vijaya Dashami is very special for the country,” the PM said as he wished the country on the occasion of the festival that marks victory of good over evil.
Modi’s statement evoked a thunderous applause from the audience that had gathered at the Vigyan Bhavan for an event relating to former Jana Sangh chief Deendayal Upadhyay’s birth centenary. He released a compendium of 15 books on the life and teachings of Upadhyay on the occasion. The collection highlights key events in the life of Upadhyay and the journey of the Jana Sangh and of the country, including watershed events like the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Tashkent Agreement and Goa’s liberation.
Quoting Upadhyay, Modi talked about the need for an exceptionally strong military as a prerequisite for a strong nation and said the country must be a capable one which is a present-day requirement. “He (Upadhyay) used to say that the country’s armed forces should be very, very capable, then only the nation can be strong,” Modi said. “In this time of competitiveness, the need is that the nation should be capable and strong,” Modi said.
In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Modi said, “Being strong does not mean being against anyone. If we exercise for our strength, then the neighbour need not worry (thinking) that it is to target him. I am exercising to strengthen myself and for my health.”
“India’s strength is never destructive, but constructive. India’s strength has never been used to spread boundaries and be expansionist. We go to win over the world but not defeat anyone...There is need that India should be a country that should lead the world,” he also said.