Prosperity and development without security is of little value to nation: PM Modi on Sri Lankan blasts

"Undermining the challenge of terror even for a single moment is an injustice to the country," PM Modi said in Varanasi on the eve of filing his nomination papers.

PM Modi

Addressing a massive roadshow at Varanasi on Thursday ahead of his nomination filing today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made yet another reference to the dastardly Sri Lankan serial blasts, saying prosperity and development without security is of little value to a country. "Undermining the challenge of terror even for a single moment is an injustice to the country," PM Modi said in Varanasi on the eve of filing his nomination papers. This is for the second time that PM Modi used the terror attack to drive home the point of action against terror. Earlier, at a rally on April 22 in Maharashtra, Modi had referred to the deadly Sri Lanka attacks to draw parallel with the situation in India before he came to power in 2014. Asserting that his commitment was to "India first", PM Modi said his government had given a response to terrorists "in their own language". Talking about the February 14 terror attack on CRPF convoy in which 40 personnel were killed, the Prime Minister said that after that 42 terrorists had been eliminated till now. "The count could go up as we speak," he added. Modi said terrorists had frequently targeted 'aastha' (faith) till 2014 by carrying out attacks at religious places such as Sankat Mochan temple here and Akshardham temple in Gujarat, but the then central government "only talked about holding talks" (with Pakistan). "But our style is different. In similar circumstances, we told them that the new India does not just talk and tolerate, but we respond to terrorists in their own language," he said about India's retaliatory action in Balakot after JeM carried out the ghastly attack in Pulwama. "Whether it is the Pulwama attack, Uri attack or any other issue, I have only one mantra with which I have lived - the country comes first, India first," he said, addressing a gathering here after carrying out a mega road show and performing ‘aarti' (prayer) at Dashashwamedh Ghat this evening.