Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday asserted that his government “brought down the wall of Article 370” to strengthen national unity, saying the ideological groundwork for the decision had been laid decades ago by Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee. He said India cannot have two flags and two constitutions, and that the country is bound by a single thread of unity.
The Prime Minister was addressing a public gathering after inaugurating the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal in the Vasant Kunj area on the occasion of the 101st birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Modi said the Rashtriya Prerna Sthal symbolises an ideology that showed the nation the path of self-respect and service. He noted that the land where the memorial stands had remained a garbage dump for decades and congratulated all those involved in transforming it into a national landmark.
Referring to the abrogation of Article 370, Modi said the BJP takes pride in carrying forward the ideas of Syama Prasad Mukherjee and implementing them. He said the decision strengthened national integration and ended long-standing anomalies in the constitutional framework.
Highlighting India’s growing manufacturing and defence capabilities, the Prime Minister said Made in India products are now reaching markets across the world. He referred to the defence corridor being developed in Uttar Pradesh and said India’s military strength has been significantly enhanced. Citing Operation Sindoor, he said the world witnessed the power of the BrahMos missile, which is now being manufactured in Lucknow, describing it as a symbol of India’s technological and industrial progress.
Targeting the Opposition, Modi accused earlier governments of promoting family-centric politics, alleging that major development works, roads and public spaces were routinely named after members of a single family. He said the BJP freed the country from such politics and ensured recognition for national heroes, pointing out that statues of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose are now being installed across the country, something he said did not happen during Congress rule.
He also accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of sidelining B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Constitution. He alleged that a powerful family in Delhi avoided acknowledging Ambedkar to protect its own prominence and that a similar approach was followed by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh.
The Rashtriya Prerna Sthal features 65-foot-tall statues of Deendayal Upadhyaya, Syama Prasad Mukherjee and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, each weighing around 42 tonnes. Spread over 65 acres, the memorial has been built at a cost of Rs 220 crore.