While on his second day of visit to Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned Pakistan for its ongoing patronage of terrorism and declared that India has been subject to "proxy wars" for 75 years but would not be passive anymore.
Speaking to a public audience at Gandhinagar's Mahatma Mandir on Tuesday, PM Modi was attending a function commemorating two decades of organized urban development in Gujarat, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the state's Urban Growth Story.
The Prime Minister dedicated and laid the foundation stone for a range of development work worth ₹5,536 crore relating to housing, health, urban design, and infrastructure.
Reminiscing about his stint as Gujarat's Chief Minister, PM Modi remembered initiating the Urban Development Year 2005, and officially declared Urban Development Year 2025. This new growth cycle will target building up urban infrastructure and sustainable lifestyles to ready Gujarat for the urban challenges of the future.
PM Modi started his speech with rousing chants of "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and recounted the countrywide patriotic fervor that he witnessed:
“Yesterday, I was in Vadodara, Dahod, Bhuj, Ahmedabad, and today I am in Gandhinagar. Everywhere I went, people were waving the Tricolour, and their hearts were full of nationalism. This was not limited to Gujarat — it was visible all across the country.”
In a particularly emotional and impactful segment of his speech, the Prime Minister took a sharp dig at Pakistan. Referring to the events of 1947, he said:
"When Mother India was divided, the shackles of colonialism should have been shed. But, rather, the country was bifurcated into three sections. That night itself, terror started in Kashmir. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was taken away from us in the veil of violence. Sardar Patel had then commanded that the army advance to take it back, but no one listened to him."
Denouncing the old tradition of accepting terrorism, he went on to say:
"For 75 years, we tolerated proxy wars. Civilians, tourists, pilgrims — they targeted whenever they could. Do we still have to stand for this? Goli ka jawab gole se dena chahiye — bullets must be met with bombs."
He reasserted India's love of peace but made it clear that the country would not shy away from defending itself:
"Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam is what we believe in — the world is one family. We desire peace, even for the neighbours. But if pushed, India will not be behind. This too is a land of warriors."
The event also saw the virtual laying of foundation stones for a new 1,800-bed hospital at Ahmedabad's Civil Medical campus, which will be built at a cost of ₹588 crore and will greatly increase healthcare services in the area.
There were additional launches, including health infrastructure initiatives worth ₹672 crore, like a new satellite centre of the U.N. Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre in Gandhinagar. It is a ₹84 crore facility on the Civil Hospital campus that will cater to North Gujarat with super-specialty cardiac and neurological services.
The event reiterated PM Modi's over-arching vision for the cities of Gujarat — one that fuses contemporary infrastructure with inclusive growth, sustainable development, and sensitivity to new challenges.
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