PM Modi: Sardar Patel statue not built to spite Nehru

Amreli, Apr 18 Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's imposing statue in Gujarat has not been worked to "belittle" former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

Talking at an election rally here, Modi said however the Congress says Patel was their pioneer, no pioneer of that party has visited the statue up until now.

"Don't you feel pleased when the Statue of Unity and Gujarat's name show up when you scan for the world's tallest statue on Google?

"I have not built Sardar Patel's statue to put down Pandit Nehru. Patel's stature is tall to the point that you don't need to make a decent attempt to make others look little," Modi said in his speech, most of which was in Gujarati.

The 'Statue of Unity', devoted to Sardar Patel, was divulged by Modi on October 31 a year ago at Sadhu Bet island on Narmada stream. The 182-meter tall statue was built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore.

Modi also said his government has managed to contain terrorism to just "over two" areas in Jammu and Kashmir and that no bomb impact occurred somewhere else in the nation in the last five years.

He blamed policies of the Congress-drove governments for the Kashmir issue staying uncertain.

"Before, bomb blasts used to occur at ordinary interims, be it Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kashi and Jammu.

Yet, have you heard (of) a solitary impact over the most recent five years? Wouldn't you say it's a support of the country? Are you not feeling safe now?" he asked the gathering.

"Terrorism has been contained to only two and a half districts of Jammu and Kashmir. There is absolutely no issue in different parts of that state also. There was around 75 percent voter turnout amid the ongoing panchayat polls in Kashmir and not a solitary episode of savagery was reported," he said.

Targeting on the Congress, he tried to recognize what it did after the 2008 Mumbai terror assault when it was in power.

"Weren't you all angry at that time? But, do you think the Congress has improved at this point? Would we be able to confide in the Congress? What's more, what Modi did after the Uri attack? You should know how we showed a thing or two to Pakistan through the surgical strike," he said tending to the general population.

Modi said before the 2014 Lok Sabha poll crusade, people asked him what he will do (to deal with terrorists).

"Around then, I said instead of me saying anything, the officers' fingers (on the trigger) will give a reply,"he said.

"Am I in charge of the current circumstance in Kashmir? Because of the strategies of Congress, we couldn't settle the Kashmir issue even following 70 years," he said.

Referring to the Balakot air strike after the Pulwama terror attack, Modi stated, "They (Pakistan) overlooked this is Modi...For the first time, you probably observed Pakistan crying.

They were asking Modi to get the phone...we have placed Pakistan in such a circumstance."

On Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's announcement of attempting to approach India after the Balakot air strike, Modi said the pioneer "needed to make an open supplication to us to get the telephone".

Modi said his "prepping" in Gujarat made him stand firm amid the Doklam standoff with China in 2017.

Then, people from other parts of the nation used to call and request that he take additional consideration, Modi said.

"On the other hand, people from Gujarat used to support my morale," Modi said and expressed gratitude toward his home state for preparing him to deal with the predicament.

Troops of India and China were secured in the 73-day-long standoff after the Indian side ceased development of a street in the debated tri-junction by the Chinese Army.

"This isn't a election rally for me, yet a rally to say thanks to people of Gujarat for the prepping I got here," Modi said.

He hammered the Congress over its poll guarantee to audit the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), scrap the rebellion law and lessen security powers in Kashmir.

"In their statement, Congress has guaranteed that they will pull back powers from Kashmir. Envision what will happen at that point. Wouldn't you say fear mongers would execute Amarnath leaders without the nearness of Army? What will happen to Vaishnodevi explorers or vacationers going to Srinagar?" Modi said.

"In that circumstance, do you figure the Army will be prepared to battle? The Congress also needs to cancel the dissidence law. Would we be able to give a free hand to the individuals who need to break the nation into pieces...the 'tukde' gang?" he said.

He said the Congress "imagining" to control the nation again even as it is battling on the most minimal number of seats in the momentum Lok Sabha polls since Independence.

"After Independence, the Congress won the most minimal number of Lok Sabha seats in 2014. They set another record by descending from 400 to only 40. It happened in light of the fact that you gave us (BJP) 26 out of 26 (Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat)," he said.

"In 2019, the Congress is challenging the most reduced number of seats since Independence and even need to run the nation.

This is the power of a tea-seller from Gujarat," he said.

In 2014, the Congress came to its lowest tally after Independence and in 2019, it is fighting on the lowest number of Lok Sabha seats but still "dreaming" of becoming the ruling party, he said.