 "Narendra Modi, Bihar")
Sending out a message amid hate mongering, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today pitched for communal harmony and asked Hindus and Muslims to work together against poverty and ignore "irresponsible" statements made by politicians, even if he himself makes any.
Breaking his silence over communal overtones in the wake of Dadri lynching incident, he invoked President Pranab Mukherjee's message, saying the countrymen should follow the path he has shown yesterday for preserving the core civilisational values of diversity, tolerance and plurality.
"I have said it earlier also. We have to decide whether Hindus should fight Muslims or poverty. Muslims should decide whether to fight Hindus or poverty....The country will benefit only when Hindus and Muslims together fight poverty and defeat it... The country has to stay united," Modi said while addressing an election rally here.
Making it clear that he stands against hate politics, he said, "It is the unity, communal harmony, brotherhood and peace that will take the nation forward."
Asking people to ignore the "irresponsible" statements made by politicians, he said they are doing so for political interests and it should end.
"I want to tell the countrymen, some small time politicians are hell bent on making irresponsible statements for their political interests.... Such statements should end... I want to urge people not to pay attention to such statements, even if Narendra Modi himself says," the Prime Minister emphasised.
Referring to Mukherjee's remarks made yesterday, he told the countrymen, "If you need to pay heed, it should be to the message and guidance given by the President.
"Yesterday, the President showed the path. Whatever the head of the country of 125 crore people has said, there can be no bigger message, no bigger direction, no bigger inspiration than that."
He said all the countrymen should tread the path shown by the President and "only then can India meet the expectations that the world has from us."
Modi said the divisive ways and means of doing politics for "politicals interests" should end.
Mukherjee, while addressing a function yesterday, had said, "I firmly believe that we cannot allow the core values of our civilisation to be wasted and the core values is what, over the years, the civilisation celebrated diversity, promoted and advocated tolerance, endurance and plurality.
