Politics of appeasement biggest hindrance in development: PM Modi

KEVADIA/EKTANAGAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday said politics of appeasement is the biggest obstacle in the country’s journey of development, and cautioned against “a very large political class” which cannot see a way of doing positive politics and can even compromise with the country’s unity for their selfish goals.

In the last nine years, India’s internal security has been getting challenges from multiple fronts, but because of the hard work of security forces, the enemies of the country are not being able to succeed like they did in the past, Modi said.

He was addressing a gathering at the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat’s Narmada district after paying floral tribute to Sardar Patel on his birth anniversary, which is celebrated as National Unity Day.

For India, the next 25 years of this century is the most important period, Modi said, adding that “we have to make our country prosperous and developed” and achieve the goal while drawing inspiration from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

“The biggest hindrance in our development journey is the politics of appeasement. Last many decades in India are witness to the fact that appeasers never see terrorism, its horrors and monstrosity. The appeasers do not hesitate to stand side by side with the enemies of humanity,” he said.

“They (appeasers) neglect investigating terrorist activities and avoid taking strict action against anti-national elements. The appeasement mindset is so dangerous that it reaches the court to save the terrorists. Such thinking cannot benefit any community. This can never be of any benefit to the country,” he said.

People have to remain cautious of such thinking which puts the unity at risk at every moment and in every corner of the country, the PM said.

Modi said there is a “very large political class” in the country which does not see any way of doing positive politics.

Such political class is trying to achieve its political goals “by hurting the unity of the country,” the prime minister said.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday flagged off Gujarat’s first heritage train, which will be hauled by an electric engine that has been designed to look like a steam locomotive and boasts of wooden interiors.

The three-coach train will connect Ekta Nagar or Kevadia, which is home to the Statue of Unity, Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s memorial, to Ahmedabad.