Likening the anger in the country over Uri attack to that witnessed in the 1965 war, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ address on Sunday maintained that those responsible for the “cowardly act” that left 18 soldiers dead will surely be punished. PM Modi also asserted that the army does not speak but it acts to show valour.
Sena bolti nahin hai, sena paraakram karti hai.Prime Minister Narendra Modi
India is Mourning, But India is Angry, Says PM Modi
In this Sunday’s edition of his monthly radio programme, Modi began by paying tributes to the soldiers who died in the Uri attack on 18 September.
Recently, we lost 18 soldiers in a terror attack in Uri. I pay my tribute to these martyrs. This cowardly act was enough to shake the nation. There is mourning as well as anger in the country. This is a loss not only for those families which lost their sons, brothers, husbands. This loss is for the entire country.
Reposing faith in the Indian army, the Prime Minister said it will foil all such designs through its bravery.
They (Indian armymen) are the people who take bravery to its pinnacle so that 125 crore people can live a peaceful life. We are proud of our army. People and politicians get opportunities to speak and that’s what they do. But the army does not speak. The army displays its bravery.
Kashmirs Have Started Recognising ‘Anti-Nationals’
In a message addressed “especially” to the people of Kashmir, which has been witnessing unrest for over two months, PM Modi said that “peace, unity and harmony” are the ways to resolve problems and expressed confidence that all issues can be addressed through discussions.
Referring to the hardships being faced by Kashmiri people due to the ongoing unrest Modi said people of the Valley has begun recognising ‘anti-nationals’.
Today, I want to speak to the people of Kashmir. They have started recognising those who oppose our country. They want their life to get back on track. All of us know that peace and unity is the only solution to our problems. This has begun (in Kashmir).The security of the people of Kashmir is the responsibility of the administration. The administration has to take steps to maintain that.Prime Minister Narendra Modi
As normal life remained disrupted for the 80th day in a row in Kashmir, PM Modi said parents in the Valley were worried about the future of their children who have not been to schools in the last nearly three months and farmers there wanted that their produce should reach the markets of the country.
Reading out a message of an 11th standard student Harshvardhan, who had expressed anger over the Uri incident, PM Modi said that the student had resolved to study an extra three hours everyday as his contribution to the country.
Appreciating the child’s “constructive thinking”, the Prime Minister then said:
There is a lot of value to the anger that people of the country have. This is a symbol of the country’s awakening. This anger is of the kind of ‘do something’.
Recalling the nation’s angst during the 1965 war with Pakistan, Modi said that then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri had “attempted to represent this feeling in an excellent manner to the world and gave the slogan of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ to inspire common people to work for the country”.
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