Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that no compromises can be made with regard to the unity of the country. The remark came amid a series of communal incidents reported from across the country, including Jahangirpuri in Delhi, on the occasion of Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti. The Opposition had been questioning the PM over his silence amid the spate of communal violence incidents.
The PM said today, “We cannot make any compromise on integrity and unity of the country.” Modi was speaking at a function on the occasion of 15th Civil Services Day. Listening to him were bureaucrats from across the country.
Modi said India is moving from the 75th year of Independence to 100 years of freedom in 2047 and it cannot be a routine affair anymore. The journey should be a watershed moment for India, he added.
“Our Amrit Kaal is not just to laud the last seven decades. We may have gone from 70-75 (years of independence) in routine. We may have gone from 60-70 (years of Independence) in routine. But from 75 to 2047, India at 100, cannot be routine.
Our Amrit Mahotsav should be a watershed. The period of (the next) 25 years should be seen as a single time unit and not as (different) pieces,” the PM said.
He emphasised the responsibility of civil servants to uphold the nation’s unity and integrity.
“We cannot make any compromise on that. Whenever we make any decision, even at the local level, however populist and attractive it may be, it must be weighed if this decision in a small village will prove to be a hindrance to the unity and integrity of the country or not,” he stated.
The Prime Minister also listed three goals for the bureaucrats: “Today, on Civil Services Day, I would like to stress three goals: Firstly, bring Ease of Living to each and every citizen of the country. Secondly, we have to draft new governance models with the goal of making India the best country in the world. Thirdly, maintain the harmony and integrity of the nation with the underlying mantra of ‘Nation First’. All our efforts should be aligned to one thing: Nation First, India First.”
