"This Is Our Biggest Enemy": In Gujarat, PM On How India Will Move Forward

Prime Minister Modi launched several infrastructure initiatives in Bhavnagar.

Bhavnagar:

During an address to a substantial crowd in Gujarat's Bhavnagar on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that India does not face significant external enemies globally, but rather identified the nation's dependency on foreign countries as its primary challenge.

"We don't have any major enemy in the world," he declared to the audience. "If there is an enemy we face, it's our dependence on other nations. This dependency is our greatest adversary, and we must collectively overcome this enemy of India, this enemy of dependence."

The Prime Minister emphasized that achieving self-reliance extends beyond economic considerations to encompass national honor, dignity, and security concerns. "The more dependent we are on foreign nations, the greater our failure as a country. For global harmony, stability, and economic growth, a nation with the world's largest population must become Atmanirbhar. Remaining dependent on others will damage our self-respect. We cannot entrust the future of 1.4 billion citizens to external powers. We cannot make our development agenda contingent on foreign dependencies. We cannot risk the prospects of future generations. The solution to a hundred problems is singular—a self-reliant India," he continued.

PM Modi criticized previous Congress administrations for failing to develop India's industrial and commercial capabilities following independence. He highlighted what he characterized as two major policy failures: initially, the restrictive "license-quota raj" that kept India isolated from global markets for many decades, followed by excessive reliance on imports during the globalization era.

"India possesses abundant potential," he maintained. "However, after independence, Congress neglected this potential. Even after six to seven decades of independence, India hasn't achieved its deserved success. For an extended period, Congress governments entangled the country in license-quota regulations, isolating it from world markets. Then, when globalization emerged, they chose only the path of imports. Corruption scandals worth thousands, lakhs, and crores occurred. The policies implemented by Congress governments severely impacted the country's youth, preventing India's true capabilities from being realized."

In Bhavnagar, Prime Minister Modi unveiled numerous infrastructure projects across maritime, energy, healthcare, transportation, and urban development sectors. In total, he inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects valued at over Rs 34,200 crore.