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Modi On Harassment Of Kashmiris Post Pulwama Attack: 'We Need To Keep Them With Us'

India’s fight is against terrorists and not against the Kashmiris, Modi said at rally in Rajasthan on Saturday.
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TONK, Rajasthan — Sending a message against the harassment of Kashmiris after the Pulwama terror attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it is the duty of every Indian to protect people from the Valley.

India’s fight is against terrorists and not against the Kashmiris, he said here at a rally where he vowed again to settle the score with Pakistan. Have faith in the army and the Modi government, he said.

Modi accused Imran Khan of not living up to the assertion he made after becoming Pakistan’s prime minister, and also indirectly charged the Congress-led government in 2008 of not acting against that country after the Mumbai terror attack.

“It is the job of every Indian in every corner of the country to ensure the safety of people from my Kashmir,” he said, in an apparent reference to reports of harassment and in some cases physical assault of Kashmiris living outside their state.

The prime minister referred to the mood of veer ras (bravery and heroism) in the country after the Pulwama attack, particularly mentioning social media.

“But our fight is against terrorism, against the enemies of humanity. Our fight is for Kashmir, not against Kashmir, not against the Kashmiris,” he added.

He said the Kashmiris people have been victims of terrorism for years. The youth in the Valley are troubled by terrorism and are ready to fight against the terrorists. “We need to keep them with us.”

He said the Kashmiri people take care of Amarnath pilgrims.

“A year back, there was firing on Amarnath pilgrims and Kashmiri Muslim people had lined up for donating blood and to protect lives,” he said.

“If we want to win the fight, we should not make mistakes. A terrorist is a terrorist and the Kashmiri people are also facing trouble due to terrorism,” he said, accusing the previous governments of not fulfilling their aspirations.

The prime minister reiterated that the security forces have been given complete freedom to retaliate after the car bomb attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans.

“Have faith in our soldiers deployed on the border, in the Modi government and in Maa Bhawani’s blessings,” he said.

“The scores will be settled this time, settled for good (Iss baar hisaab hoga, hisaab poora hoga),” he said.

In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Modi said peace in the world is not possible if the terror factory continues like this.

“There is consensus in the entire world against terrorism. We are moving ahead with strength to punish the perpetrators of terrorism,” he said.

“Stern action against those who live in India and encourage separatism has been taken and will be taken. This is a changed India, this pain will not be tolerated,” he said.

“We will not sit quiet after suffering this pain. We know how to crush terrorism,” he said.

Modi recalled his conversation with Imran Khan during a congratulatory call after the cricketer-turned-politician became Pakistan’s premier.

The prime minister said he told Imran Khan that there had been enough battles between the two countries, in which Pakistan got nothing while India won each time.

“I told him let us fight against poverty and illiteracy,” Modi said, suggesting that Khan gave his word saying he is a Pathan’s son - but went back on it.

Modi said he feels sad about “a handful of people who live in India and speak the language of Pakistan”.

He said these are the people who go to Pakistan, saying do anything but remove Modi.

“They are those who failed to show courage against the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attack,” he said, without naming anyone.

Attacking the Congress, he claimed that it had failed to fulfil its promise of waiving farm loans after coming to power in Rajasthan.

Listing the achievements of his government, the prime minister gave a new slogan, suggesting everything is possible under his government - Modi hai to mumkin hai .

He said that the previous dispensation would only discuss work, but his government completed it.

The prime minister said the one rank, one pension scheme for retired soldiers remained on the back-burner for 40 years, but his government implemented it.

Shedding tears on the deaths of soldiers doesn’t befit those who could not implement the scheme, he added.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.