Uttarakhand Election 2022: ‘India is One’, says PM Modi over Rahul Gandhi's ‘India is union of states' remark

The Prime Minister possibly referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's recent comment that India is a 'union of states.'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday stated that those who don't believe in India as one nation have come to Uttarakhand to destroy the state, in a possible reference to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remark about the 'union of states'. 

Addressing a rally in Rudrapur, PM Modi said, "India is one, this country is one." He added the reason why a young man from the hills of Uttarakhand also serves the country in Kerala. However, the Congress party claims that India is not a nation. People who insult nationalism and our martyrs have come here to destroy the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), unlike Congress, has faith in Uttarakhand, PM Modi said. He added that this is the land of our sages, and BJP promised in their manifesto that they would do everything in their power to keep it safe.

PM Modi comments came on the final day of the state's assembly elections campaigning, scheduled in a single phase, on February 14. Counting the votes for all 70 Assembly seats will be done on March 10. 

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi commented 'union of states' while speaking in the Lok Sabha on February 2. The Congress leader accused the Central government of running India like a kingdom. Gandhi said the Indian Constitution refers to India as a union of states rather than a nation. In India, one cannot rule over the people of a state. Languages and cultures cannot be suppressed.

While the speech drew criticism from central ministers and BJP leaders, Gandhi received support from several quarters, including Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin, the Congress party's grand old ally Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).