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.
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.
"Unfortunately, this political class is adopting such tactics which are against the society and the country. For this political class, their selfishness is paramount even if it means that the unity of the country breaks," he said.
Such political class is trying to achieve its political goals "by hurting the unity of the country," the prime minister said.
"Only if the country remains alert about these will it be able to achieve its development goals. Efforts to maintain the unity of the country should not be abandoned even for a moment. We have to continuously live the mantra of unity, and contribute continuously to realise it," Modi said.
He said the people should give their best in whichever field they work, and this is the best way to give a better future to the coming generations. "And this is what Sardar Saheb expects from all of us," he added.
During 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.
People have still not forgotten those periods when they were filled with doubt when entering crowded markets, public places and places of economic activities, he said.
"There were conspiracies to halt the country's development by targeting them. People have seen the destruction caused by bomb blasts and also sluggishness of the then government in the name of investigation," he said, adding that people should not let the country slide to that period.
The people of the country need to know, recognise and understand, and be cautious of those who are attacking the country's unity, PM Modi said.
"There came a period of 25 years preceding the country's independence during the last century when every Indian exhausted themselves to achieve independence. Now we are faced with a similar 'Amrit Kaal' of the next 25 years for a prosperous India as an opportunity. We have to achieve every goal with the inspiration of Sardar Patel," he said.
He also referred to the abrogation of Article 370, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Who would have thought that Kashmir will be rid of Article 370? But today, the wall of Article 370 between Kashmir and the country has fallen. Sardar Saheb would be feeling the happiest and blessing us from wherever he is today."
"Today, our brothers and sisters have come out of the shadow of terrorism to breathe in one air and are moving forward step by step in the country's development," he said.
The prime minister said today the entire world is looking at India's achievements.
"The world is surprised to see India's ability in the G20. We are proud that we are taking the world's largest democracy to a new height. We are proud that amidst various global crises, our borders are safe, and in the next few years we will become the third largest economic power," he said.
In the 'Amrit Kaal', India has taken a pledge to move ahead by shedding the mindset of slavery, Modi said.
Due to the chaos in the world and the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation in some countries is at the highest point in 30-40 years and there is also unemployment. In such circumstances, India's flag continues to fly high, the PM said.
"We are moving continuously ahead by overcoming one challenge after another. We have made new records, set new yardsticks. The country can see the influence of policies and decisions taken in the last nine years in every sphere of life," he said.
More than 13.5 crore people have moved out of poverty. "India is confident that we can remove poverty from the country and will continuously work forward in this direction," he said.
"Therefore, for every single Indian, this is a very important period. Nobody should do anything which can compromise the stability of the country. If we deviate from our steps, we will also deviate from our goal.
"The hard work with which 140 crore Indians have brought the country on the path of development should never go in vain. We have to keep the future in mind and stay up to date with our resolutions," he said.
Modi said the work of the Sardar Sarovar Dam was pending for five-six decades, but it was completed in the last few years due to everyone's efforts.
Ekta Nagar, where the Statue of Unity is located, is being recognised today as a "global green city," he said.
More than 1.5 lakh trees have been planted in the last six months. The place has added several attractions, and a boost to tourism has helped the locals, he said.
Modi said more than 1.5 crore tourists have visited Ekta Nagar in the last five years, and the number keeps increasing.
At Ekta Nagar, the PM inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth Rs 160 crore.
The projects include a heritage train connecting Ekta Nagar to Ahmedabad, live telecast of Narmada aarti, a Kamalam park for dragon fruit, a walkway within the Statue of Unity, 30 e-buses, 210 e-bicycles and multiple golf carts, a city gas distribution network at Ekta Nagar and 'Sahkar Bhawan' of Gujarat State Cooperative Bank.
The PM also laid the foundation stone of a sub-district hospital with a trauma centre and a solar panel at Ekta Nagar.