Modi asks youths to give up arms, join mainstream

NEW DELHI: Amid continued violence in Jammu and Kashmir, northeast and Naxalism-hit areas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today urged the youth, who have taken up arms, to return to their families and join the mainstream, saying the path of violence has never benefited anyone. The Prime Minister, in his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort, said a "game is being played to kill innocents under the garb of Maoism, and in the name of militancy and terror". He said that in all these years, "the motherland has become more red with blood, but those who walked the path of terrorism gained nothing". "I want to tell those youths that this country will never tolerate violence. This country will not tolerate terrorism. This country will never bow its head before terrorism, never before Maoists. "I am telling those youths that there is time left, come back and join the mainstream. Realize your parents' aspirations. Lead a peaceful life. The path of violence has never benefited anyone," he said. "If Indian democracy has to be strengthened, if the country's dreams are to be fulfilled, then violence will never be our path," Modi said.