In his first public comments after the air strikes in Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the country is in safe hands and that he will not let the country down.
The prime minister stressed that nothing was above the nation.
"Today is a day to pay homage to India's bravehearts. I want to assure you that the country is in safe hands," he said at a public rally here.
"I vow that I will not let the country bow down," he said.
The prime minister, however, did not make a direct reference to the strikes.
The Indian Air Force fighter jets carried out pre-dawn air strikes on terror camps across the Line Control in the Pakistani side, 12 days after Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group carried out the dastardly Pulwama attack in Kashmir.
The operation, described as a non-military, preemptive strike, was welcomed by the entire political spectrum and military experts who had been advocating retribution after the February 14 suicide attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claimed by JeM.
Forty CRPF personnel were killed and five injured on February 14 in one of the deadliest terror strikes in Jammu and Kashmir when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into their bus in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.
The bus was part of a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel from Jammu to Srinagar. More than 2,500 Central Reserve Police Force personnel, many of them returning from leave to rejoin duty in the Valley, were travelling in the convoy.
The attack was the worst-ever attack in Jammu and Kashmir since militancy erupted in the state in1989.
Addressing the rally, the prime minister said he was able to work because the party is above individuals and the country was above the party.
“Pradhan sevak is able to work because party is bigger than individuals and country is bigger than the party. We are working with the feeling to serve the people of the country,” Modi said.
He said with the sentiment of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan and Jai Vigyan', the country was progressing ahead.
Referring to the Prime Minister Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme, Modi said that first installment of Rs 2000 was directly transferred to bank accounts of farmers.
Attacking the Congress government in the state, he said unfortunately not a single farmer from Churu was among the beneficiaries as the Rajasthan government was stopping the benefits that Centre wants to pass on to them.
“Rajasthan has not provided list of farmers for the scheme launched by the Centre. Welfare of poor and farmers is the priority of our government but it is sad that schemes meant for them are subjected to politics,” he said.
Modi said welfare of farmers was among priorities of the government but it hurts when schemes related to them is subjected to politics.
He said the government was working on 'Sabka sath sabka vikas' model.
1.5 crore house have been constructed for poor in the last four years and more than 7 lakh houses have been constructed for poor in Rajasthan.
(With inputs from agencies)
