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Modi at Ekta Nagar: opposition has become 'Avrodh Paksh'; Naxalism eliminated, 'Dimagi Naxals' remain
In his National Unity Day speech on 31 October, Narendra Modi said the opposition has become an 'Avrodh Paksh', an obstructive force, and warned of 'Dimagi Naxals' after saying Naxalism is eliminated. He listed priorities including a secular civil code and launched Rs 400 crore projects.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi told the National Unity Day celebrations at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat on 31 October that the opposition has abandoned its duty and become an 'Avrodh Paksh', an obstructive force, instead of a 'Virodh Paksh', an opposing group. He said Naxalism has been eliminated in remote areas but that 'Dimagi Naxals', a term that means Naxals of the mind, are trying to create unrest. The speech marked the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Modi also launched projects worth more than Rs 400 crore at Ekta Nagar.
What he said about the opposition
Modi said it is the country's misfortune that the opposition has abandoned its duty and turned into an obstructive force that wants to divide the country. He said that obstruction had become a core part of its politics. According to one report, he said that this is not healthy opposition but sheer obstruction, and that it is driven by more than a decade of frustration at being out of power, though another report says it does not use the word frustration.
He took a veiled swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's foreign trips, asking who is meeting whom abroad and whose support hostile forces are seeking. He said certain forces inside the country are spreading lies and rumours to create instability and undermine constitutional dignity, and that social media is being used as a weapon to spread rumours and tarnish India's image. He said a republic keeps its leaders accountable to the public. The reports found do not carry a response from the opposition.
Naxalism
Modi said that his earlier promise to end Naxalism and Maoism has been fulfilled and that Naxalism has been eliminated in remote areas. He said that 'Dimagi Naxals' remain a threat and the country must stay alert. The National School of Drama staged a presentation titled Naxal Mukt Bharat, with about 2,000 artists from 126 districts that had been affected by left-wing extremism.
He listed securing borders, stopping infiltration and demographic change, and moving towards a secular civil code. He called Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat and Viksit Bharat the two goals. He credited Patel with uniting more than 550 princely states, and he mentioned a Run for Unity in which millions of citizens took a pledge.
Modi said that India's unity and resilience helped it withstand the global energy crisis linked to the conflict in West Asia. He said that several countries had limited diesel and petrol purchases and that India, with a large population and limited domestic petroleum production, was expected to be badly affected, but it did not allow citizens to bear the impact. He cited a recent World Bank report saying that about 50 crore Indians moved out of poverty in the 10 to 12 years before 2024, and that extreme poverty fell from 27 in 100 people to fewer than 3 in 100. He also criticised the Garibi Hatao slogan.
Modi inaugurated, laid the foundation stones for, or dedicated projects worth more than Rs 400 crore in Ekta Nagar:
- A sewage and water treatment plant
- Facade lighting
- Narmada Ghat upgradation
- An IRCTC hotel
- The Rainforest, Unity and Eco Trail
- Gora-Bhandra Road development
- An integrated zero-waste solid waste management project
- Khalwani Eco Tourism Development
- A Cactus and Butterfly Garden
He watched the parade and paid floral tributes at the Statue of Unity, and Indian Air Force helicopters showered flower petals over it.
The speech came on the day that the INDIA bloc held a symbolic public impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi, and a day before its Ramlila Maidan rally. The reports found do not say whether Modi referred to that event, and the term 'Avrodh Paksh' does not appear in every report of the speech.
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