On October 10, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned the “Urban Naxals” aiming to enter his home state of Gujarat, an apparent allusion to Arvind Kejriwal and his AAP, which is competing against the BJP in a triangular election in the State.
The Prime Minister warned BJP officials that the Congress was “quietly” campaigning in villages and rural areas to persuade young people to vote against the BJP in the Assembly elections.
The Prime Minister spoke at political rallies in Amod, Bharuch, and Vallabh Vidhyanagar in Anand on the second day of his three-day visit to the election-bound State. He also attended a community event in Ahmedabad and a brief roadshow and government event in Jamnagar.
The Prime Minister spoke at a rally in Bharuch, where he also lay the cornerstone for a new production facility for prescription drugs and other initiatives. In a covert attack, he denounced the AAP and its leaders, branding them as “Urban Naxals” who aim to incite the youth.
“Urban Naxals are attempting to infiltrate the State using new identities. Their attire has been modified. Our naïve and enthusiastic youth are being misled and provoked into following them, Mr. Modi claimed in his speech.
He also attributed the failure of the Narmada project to the activists. The State had to fight for approval to build the dam and a vast network of canals that deliver Narmada water to elevated areas of Saurashtra and North Gujarat until the Apex Court.
“From above, the Urban Naxals are descending. Our young generation won’t be ruined by them, we promise. We need to educate our youngsters about the Urban Naxals, who have vowed to destroy the nation. They are spies for foreign governments. Gujarat will not submit to them; rather, Gujarat will annihilate them, according to PM Modi.
The Prime Minister questioned BJP supporters at a rally in Vallabh Vidhyanagar, a town in central Gujarat close to Anand, if the opposition party was active in rural areas.
“I must caution you because it seems to me that the Congress has taken a new tactic this time. I have not looked further, but that seems to be the case to me at first glance,” he informed the party officials.
In the lead-up to the State elections, Mr. Modi’s comments regarding the Congress party seem to be a warning to party members not to get comfortable.
“Don’t judge them based on the fact that they haven’t held news conferences, public meetings, or announcements… You must continue to be vigilant in preparation for the upcoming elections, the prime minister added.
He also criticised the opposition party leaders for skipping a trip to South Gujarat’s Statue of Unity, a colossal statue of Sardar Patel built across the Narmada river
In paying respect to Sardar Patel, who was born in the Anand district and has a nearby town named after him, Vallabh Vidhyanagar, the prime minister credited him with uniting the nation at the moment of independence by combining all princely states into the Union of India.
Additionally, he used the occasion to subtly criticise Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for his failure to resolve the Kashmir dispute after independence.
In front of the important Assembly elections, Mr. Modi, the BJP’s campaign’s leader, has made twelve travels since March this year and attended over twenty-two events and political gatherings at various locations throughout the State.
