New Delhi: In his first comments on the violence against Dalits by cow vigilantes, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday strongly rebuked them, saying most of them are "anti-social" elements who are running "shops" in the name of cow protection which makes him "angry".
He asked state governments to prepare "dossiers" on the so-called cow protectors as 80 per cent of them do illegal activities at night and become cow protectors in the day, asserting that running such help groups does not mean harassing others.
Modi made the sharp denouncement of cow vigilantes during his Town Hall-style address to mark the second anniversary of his government's MyGov initiative.
His comments come at a time when his government and BJP are facing flak over incidents of violence against Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes in various states including Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
"It makes me angry that people are running shops in the name of cow protection. Most of them are anti-social elements hiding behind the mask of cow protection.
"I will ask state governments to prepare a dossier on such people as 80 per cent of them will be found to be involved in anti-social activities which no society will approve of," he said.
Noting that more cows die from consuming plastics than are slaughtered, he said those who want to serve the animal should rather work towards stopping cows from eating plastics as that will be a bigger service.
Recalling his own work in the service of cow, he said at one health camp organised by him for the animal, at least two buckets full of plastic were removed from the stomach of one of them.
Speaking about the role of khadi, Modi said that if the people spent just 5% of their total expenditure on clothes on handloom and khadi, it will transform lives of the poor. "Khadi for nation and khadi for fashion, this must be our guiding principle," said the PM.
On tourism, the Prime Minister said India should focus on the kind of tourism which exhibits that which is unique to the country's culture and heritage, not that which is common in the world.
Answering a question on his hectic schedule, Modi said, "Everybody has immense energy within them. God has given us all the same capacity to perform. I am just trying to realise it because I have a mission."
The PM also emphasised 'Smart City Plus' mission for villages, to create 300 'Rurban' villages, where the 'soul' of a village will be preserved but the facilities will be urban-level. 'Atma gaon ki, suvidha sheher ki', he says. This was in response to a question about the likelihood of creating Smart Villages on the lines of Smart Cities.
Modi lamented that despite huge advertisement and publicity campaigns about vaccination, many children remained unvaccinated. "Health department is now doing all they can to go to every house to create awareness. We are working towards not only health insurance but also health assurance," he said.
We need to focus on preventative and affordable healthcare, he added.
Questioned about how long it would take for the common man to realise the benefits of a high growth rate, Modi said, "The world is in recession. Despite the purchasing capacity of world going down, we have a growth rate of 7.6%. If India grows at 8% for 30 years, the country will become an advanced nation."
Modi highlighted responsibility with accountability as the hallmark of good governance. Every level of government should be held accountable, he said.
"The benefits must reach the intended beneficiaries. Last mile delivery is as important as policies."
We want to develop good governance where the processes involved are less and things get done easy for citizens, the 66-year-old PM added.
Speaking about quick redress of grievances, he said it is an essential component of democracy and the government is taking steps to make this happen. He called grievance redress the 'most powerful thing in democracy' while emphasising the importance of good governance and modern technology for agricultural development.
Slamming those who hold him responsible for every incident, Modi said, "The PM is targeted even for a small incident anywhere. Holding the PM responsible for everything that happens at every level can be good politically, or for TRPs, but it makes the lower level administration feel they do not have to take responsibility. It is not good for governance."
Modi indicated that his government was different to governments of the past. "After winning elections, governments usually start thinking about how to win the next elections or what to do to get more votes next time. If good governance is not stressed on then regular life of a citizen wont change, wont develop," the Prime Minister said.
On the foreign policy front, the Prime Minister said "India first" is the central point of his government's diplomatic engagements.
"India first is the central point (of our foreign policy). It is about protecting India's strategic interest, it is to ensure that India marches forward in achieving economic prosperity by leaps and bounds and reaches the position which it is destined to reach," Modi said.
The Prime Minister said time has changed and world has become interdependent, and no country can afford to live in a particular group.
"The time of grouping has come to an end. Every country is linked to some other country," he said, adding walking together in most cases has become the norm.
Showering praise on the Indian diaspora, he said they can play an important role in strengthening India's ties with foreign countries and we should utilise their strength.
"The diaspora community has become very proactive, assertive and they can help in improving ties with many countries. India is making its place (in the world) with new energy and prestige," he said.
Answering a query on India's external engagement, Modi said there was no need to use words like aggressive, progressive and proactive in talking about the country's foreign policy which the questioner had used.
Before the question-answer session, Modi honoured the six youth who developed the PMO App, and launched the platform. He also handed out awards to the winners of the contest 'Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat'.
Earlier, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called social media an empowerment tool, empowering every individual both giving and receiving information. It is also an accountability tool, he said in a panel discussion involving Ravi Shankar Prasad, journalist Rajat Sharma and Smita Prasad.
"MyGovIndia is the digital bridge between the citizens and the government," said PP Chaudhary, Minister Of State, Law and Justice, and Electronics and IT.
Journalist Smita Prakash hailed the use of social media by the government, saying it had optimized this more than any other government.
Townhall as a concept is commonly used in the West among politicians as well as CEOs to interact with people directly.
Speaking on the occasion, IT and Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said MyGov has 35.2 lakh registered members.
The minister said achievements of ordinary people of the country must be given positive space in the MyGov platform.
The portal was launched by the Prime Minister in July 2014 to provide opportunity to the people to participate in multiple-theme based discussions and share their thoughts.
The event saw participation from various stakeholders including Cabinet ministers, senior officers from Ministries and Departments, government organisations, representatives from media, IT and social media industry and citizens who have participated in the MyGov initiatives.
