At ‘progress panchayat’, strikes take centrestage

Referring to the Army strikes, Naqvi, said, “Today is the day to make it clear to all those who are enemies of all Indians — be they Hindus or Muslims — let’s have a show of hands from all those who believe such forces should be given a befitting reply.”

As hands went up in unison, the minister described people as the “biggest strength of the Prime Minister” and reiterated that no force that threatens the country will be spared. He urged for peace, amity and brotherhood in the country.

The news of the strikes, though, appeared to have come as a surprise even for the minister himself. He learnt about it much later in the day — while he was already in Haryana. Sources said there had been no indication of the pre-dawn strikes when Naqvi had spoken with Modi in the morning before launching the government’s Progress Panchayat initiative.

None of the other speakers at the meeting, which had a sizeable audience, spoke about either the strikes or Pakistan. Minister of State for Planning and Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh, who is the local MP, spoke at length about the unbending nature of Mewat and the development requirements of the region.

After a local leader read out a long list of demands for the area — building and repair of roads and demand for schools, among others — Naqvi made several promises and later said, “Do not believe in any negative propaganda. This government is for development and we will keep coming back to you.”