PM defends national security pitch: Poor worst-hit by terror

The Prime Minister also said that the BJP-led government had focused on electrification in the last five years and it would use the coming five years for water development.

“Some people have a problem with Bharat Mata ki Jay and Vande Mataram. Should they not lose their security deposit? …wo kehte hai Modi aatankwad ki baat kyon karta hai, ye toh mudda hi nahi hai. Aap mujhe bataiye rashtraraksha aur aatankwad yeh mudda hai ki nahi hai? (They ask why Modi is talking about terrorism. You tell me is it is an issue or not),” said the Prime Minister, referring to the recent terror attack in Sri Lanka.

“Factories of terror are operating in our neighbourhood…It is the poor in my country who have been worst-hit by terror,” said the Prime Minister, adding that money being spent on purchasing bombs, shells and guns could have been used for “building schools and hospitals for the poor”.

The Prime Minister said politicians did not require so much security 40 years ago and that security forces were now deployed to check railway compartments, at airports, temples, mosques and gurdwaras. “The sons of the poor in the defence forces do not sleep well now (because of security threats) and if an incident takes place, they might lose their jobs,” he said.

“This is the reason we need to end terrorism for the welfare of the poor,” said the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister also referred to the “Darbhanga terror module” and said, “But aapka chowkidar chokanna hai (Your watchman is alert)”.

Modi also addressed a rally at Banda in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.

In an apparent response to BSP chief Mayawati drawing a comparison between SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav and Narendra Modi and referring to Mulayam as a “real” backward leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “SP-BSP people are busy distributing certificates of my caste and the Congress is busy abusing the whole backward community by using Modi’s name.”

Referring to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Chandra Shekar Azad, Rani Lakshmi Bai and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, he said, “Ek bhi maha purush apni jati se nahi jana jata hai.” (No great personality is known by his or her caste).”

Targeting the Opposition for alleging EVM discrepancies, Prime Minister said, “300 seaton pe vote padne ke baad jo khabarein aa rahi hain, kuch logon ke chehre latak gaye hain…Ab inhone phir se EVM ka raag cher diya hai (Due to reports coming after polling on 300 seats, some people are demotivated. They have again raised a hue-and-cry over EVMs).”

The Prime Minister reiterated in Banda that in his second term, he is going to work for water supply in a “mission mode”.

He assured the people in the Bundelkhand region, which faces a scarcity of water, to also open a Jal Shakti ministry at the central level.

He alleged that the SP-BSP and the Congress are afraid to even say “Terrorism” because they are afraid of losing their vote bank. “Inko desh ki chinta nahi, apne vote bank ki chinta hai (They do not care about the country, they care only about their vote bank).”

At the end, the Prime Minister told the crowd, “Modi dal ke liye nahi, Modi desh ke liye paida hua hai. (Modi was not born for the party, he was born for the country).”