Modi’s comments were seen as directed against AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal working overtime in Gujarat ahead of the assembly elections due later this December. The state has seen a bipolar contest between the BJP and Congress in the last 24 years.
Addressing a public meeting at Vallabh Vidyanagar, near Bharuch, on Monday, Modi said the tribals of Gujarat have chosen development and ensured that the evil of Naxalism, which has gripped many states, does not gain a foothold here. Get it
People with Naxalite mindset tried a lot to stop the Sardar Sarovar Dam built on the river Narmada. Urban Naxalites are now storming the state wearing a new outfit. They have changed their form and are now provoking our naive and enthusiastic youth. You must warn your children against these urban naxalites and foreign agents destroying our country.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that Gujarat would hit their pitch.
“Naxals devastated the lives of tribal youth in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and parts of Madhya Pradesh. Incited them to commit violence by handing over guns. I was determined that I would not allow Naxalism to gain a foothold in Gujarat and hence I started the development of the entire eastern region. Ambaji For Umargam,” Modi said.
Expressing faith in his development mantra, the Prime Minister lauded the tribals for not allowing Naxalism to take root in Gujarat. “I bow to them (tribals),” he said.
In Vallabh Vidyanagar, Modi lamented how decades were wasted in the construction of the Sardar Sarovar Dam due to the constraints of “urban naxals”. He added: “The poor man’s money had to be spent fighting the legal battle in the courts… 40-50 years were wasted in the process.”
He alleged this September that “urban Naxals and anti-development elements” had blocked the Sardar Sarovar Dam for years while Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel called. Narmada Bachao Andolan Activist Medha Patkar an “Urban Naxal”. Patkar unsuccessfully contested the 2014 parliamentary elections as an AAP candidate for Mumbai Northeast.