Stop creating narrative of North-South divide: PM Modi slams Congress

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the Congress and its government in Karnataka to stop creating a narrative to divide the country into north and south saying it jeopardises the country's future.

Replying to the debate to the Motion of Thanks in the Rajya Sabha, he lamented that the Karnataka government was building such a narrative through advertisements.

Modi was referring to the protest dharna by the Congress led by Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah over alleged "injustice" meted out by the Centre on devolution of tax share to the state.

"Today I want to share my pain on a specific matter...The way language is being spoken these days to break the country, these new narratives are being made for political gains. An entire state is speaking this language, nothing can be worse for the country than this...what language have we started saying," he said.

Modi said such narratives were not good for the country and could jeopardise its future.

He lamented that a vaccine is made in one part of the country and someone says that it can't be given to other parts. "What is this thinking? And it is very painful that such language is emerging from a national party, it is very sad," he noted.

"This nation is not just a piece of land for us. It is like the human body, if there is pain somewhere, the hand doesn't say that the thorn is in the foot and it doesn't concern me...if there is pain anywhere in this country, pain should be felt by everyone.

"If one body part does not work the entire body is dubbed as handicap, If any part of the country is left without development, then the country cannot become developed. Therefore we should look at the country as one and not separate parts," Modi said.

He cited the example of the Himalayas, saying what if one starts saying that rivers flow from there and they won't be shared with others.

"What will happen to the country, where will this stop? States which have coal if they say that we won't share it with others, how will the country function? "If eastern states had said that we won't share oxygen with other regions what would have happened.

"'Desh ke andar yeh bhav todne ka kya prayas ho raha hai?' (What is this narrative being played to break the nation). 'Hamara tax hamara money', (Our tax, our money) what is this language being spoken? "Stop giving such new narratives to break the nation. It poses a threat to the future of the country. Make efforts to take the country along," the prime minister noted.