"Identify And Confront Urban Naxals": PM Modi On National Unity Day In Gujarat
Kevadia, Gujarat: On the occasion of the National Unity Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday called for his fellow countrymen to “identify and confront those who dream of breaking the country and promote ideas that undermine it while wearing false marks.” PM Modi, in a veiled attack on the opposition, called them “urban naxals” who pose a ‘threat’ to the country’s unity.
Addressing the National Unity Day Parade in Gujarat’s Kevadia, PM Modi highlighted the BJP government’s efforts towards national unity. Citing examples such as abolishing Article 370, revoking Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, Aadhaar, and bringing a ‘one nation, one tax’ system, he emphasised how the current government “eliminated discrimination.”
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“The discriminatory policies and intent of previous governments weakened national unity. Over the past 10 years, the new governance model has eliminated discrimination. We have chosen the path of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. This approach has ended the dissatisfaction among people and enhanced their trust in development schemes,” PM Modi said.
“We are now working towards One Nation, One Election, which will strengthen India’s democracy, give the optimum outcome of India’s resources, and the country will gain new momentum in achieving the dream of a developed India. Today, India is moving towards One Nation, One Civil Code that is a Secular Civil Code,” he added.
On the same lines, Modi said that certain forces threatened the country’s rising unity and aimed to destabilise India’s economy. Calling them “urban naxals,” PM Modi indirectly attacked the opposition and said that while “they” invoked the constitution and democracy, they were working to divide the country.
“We must recognise this alliance of urban Naxalites. As my fellow countrymen, the Naxalism that grew in the forests, which armed youth with guns, has gradually diminished, and a new model of urban Naxalism has emerged,” he said.
This isn’t the first time the BJP leader has used the term “urban naxals” to attack the opposition. In September last year, during a Bhopal rally, PM Modi accused the Congress of outsourcing its policies to “urban naxals,” a term that has regularly been used by the saffron party.
Previously, in October 2022, the BJP leader appealed to people, especially tribal villagers of Gujarat, to remain alert and stay away from “urban naxals” and foreign agents in a veiled attack on the AAP and its leader, Arvind Kejriwal, who was working overtime in Gujarat ahead of the December assembly polls at the time.
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He claimed that “urban naxals” were trying to enter Gujarat by changing their appearance. “Urban Naxals are trying to enter the state with new appearances. They have changed their costumes. They are misleading our innocent and energetic youth into following them,” he said.
The term “urban naxals” gained popularity after several activists were arrested in July and August 2018 following the violence at Bhima Koregaon in Pune after the Elgar Parishad event. The police called the arrested, which included lawyers, tribal rights activists, poets, and more, “urban naxals.” Since then, the BJP and right-wing groups have regularly brandished the term to label opposition.
