India fully capable of dealing with all challenges, says PM

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 31

Paying tributes to the legacy of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for unity to achieve national goals and said India was becoming fully capable of dealing with all kinds of challenges — external and internal.

Lays stress on unity

We have to keep in mind that as every person sitting in a boat has to care about it, we too can move forward only when we are united. Only then the country will be able to attain its goals. Narendra Modi, PM

In an address to mark Sardar Patel’s birthday, celebrated as the National Unity Day, the PM said unity was the key to India’s development and everyone had a duty to contribute to national integrity.

“The strong foundation of democracy, which has developed in India’s society and traditions over hundreds of years, has enriched the spirit of ‘one India’, but we also have to remember that every person sitting in the boat has to take care of the boat. If we remain united, only then will we be able to move forward, only then will the country be able to achieve its goals,” the PM said.

He urged citizens to perform their “civic duties” saying that would be the most meaningful tribute to Sardar Patel. “India’s capability and determination on every front, water-land-sky-space, is unprecedented. India has embarked on a new mission of self-reliance to safeguard its interests,” the PM added.

The PM said decades-old archaic laws had been scrapped and key decisions taken to give new heights to the ideals that cherish national unity.

“Be it J&K, North-East or any village in distant Himalayas, today all are progressing on the path of development. The construction of modern infrastructure is removing geographical and cultural distances,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the ease to access all parts of India would enhance unity.

In a message of equality as a sine qua non of a great nation, the PM said the concept of one India should mean “an India whose women have more than one opportunity; an India, where Dalits, deprived, tribals and forest dwellers and every citizen feel equal; an India, where there is no discrimination in facilities like house, electricity, water, and there are equal rights.