In a spirited address delivered in Uttarakhand on Thursday, April 11, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a bold statement regarding the government’s approach to combating terrorism. Referring to the surgical strikes carried out in Uri and the air strike in Balakot, PM Modi proclaimed that under the BJP’s leadership at the Centre over the past decade, terrorists are met with swift and decisive action, even within their own hideouts.
Addressing a public rally in Rishikesh in Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister highlighted the major decisions taken by his government emphasising that it was under the NDA regime that Article 370 was abrogated from Jammu and Kashmir.
“Today, there is a strong government in the country. Under this ‘mazboot Modi sarkar, atankwaadiyon ko ghar mein ghus ke mara jata hai’. The Indian tricolour has become a guarantee of security even in the war zone. After seven decades, Article 370 was scrapped from Jammu and Kashmir and a law was made against triple talaq. It was our strong government that ensured a 33 per cent reservation in Parliament and the poor of the general category also got 10 per cent reservation,” the PM said.
He also said that whenever the country had a weak government, enemies have taken advantage. Lashing out at the Congress party, the Prime Minister said, “During the Congress regime, the soldiers did not even have bulletproof jackets. There was no proper arrangement to protect them from enemy bullets. It was the BJP that gave bulletproof jackets made in India to its soldiers, saving their lives. Today, everything from modern rifles to fighter planes and aircraft carriers is being made in the country itself.”
Uttarakhand has five Lok Sabha seats and the state will go to the polls in a single phase on April 19. NDA has fielded Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah, Anil Baluni, Ajay Tamta, Ajay Bhatt and Trivendra Singh Rawat from Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora (SC), Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Haridwar lok sabha constituencies respectively.
INDIA has nominated Jot Singh Guntsola (INC), Ganesh Godiyal (INC), Pradeep Tamta (INC), Prakash Joshi (INC) and Virendra Rawat (INC) as its candidates for Tehri Garhwal, Garhwal, Almora (SC), Nainital-Udhamsingh Nagar and Haridwar lok sabha constituencies.
While two Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand — Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar and Almora — are located in the Kumaon region, the remaining three seats of Haridwar, Tehri Garhwal and Garhwal (Pauri) are in the Garhwal region.
The BJP is looking to sweep yet again in all five Lok Sabha seats of Uttarakhand, having won from all the parliamentary constituencies in the State in both the 2014 and 2019 general elections.
Union Minister of State for Tourism and Defence Ajay Bhatt had won the Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar seat in 2019, defeating former chief minister Harish Rawat by 3,39,096 votes. His victory margin was the biggest of the four other winning BJP candidates. (With the inputs from ANI)
