Even as he appealed for peace and unity in the aftermath of Delhi riots, Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that the BJP alone is inspired by national interest while other parties are guided by partisan motivations.

At the first weekly meeting of the BJP MPs after the Parliament resumed, Modi did not directly refer to the communal riots in Delhi but asked the party legislators to “take the lead in ensuring peace, unity and harmony”.

“Act not only as a member of the BJP but as a son of Mother India. As a son of Mother India, ensure peace, unity and harmony,” he said.

Conflict on

Modi then proceeded to claim that only the BJP is inspired by national interest and there is a conflict between national interest and partisan interests.

“Bear in mind that there are people in the society who are inspired by partisan interests but we take our guidance only from national interest. This is a tug-of-war between partisan interests and national interest and we have to emerge victorious because we stand for national interest. We are fighting not as BJP workers but as sons of Mother India. Our aim is sabka saath sabka vikas (brotherhood and development for all),” the PM said.

Question of perception

He made what seemed to have been a veiled criticism of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had recently given a statement that the slogan of Bharat Mata Ki Jai was being misused to construct a “militant and purely emotional” idea of India that excludes millions of residents and citizens.

“I feel very sad when I see some people perceive even a slogan like Bharat Mata Ki Jai suspiciously and say that this slogan has a certain bad smell. This is a very painful perspective and each of us who loves our country is hurt and saddened by such statements,” Modi said.

This was the PM’s first speech after the Delhi riots, which left more than 42 people dead and over 350 injured. In the meeting, Modi also highlighted the benefits of Jan Aushadhi Kendra , which sells medicines at subsidised rates, and said he would interact with the beneficiaries on March 7.

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