Shoot me, not my Dalit brothers: PM Modi

In an unusual expression of solidarity with the Dalit Community that faced the wrath of so-called 'cow protectors' in Gujarat recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday went hammer and thongs at them, saying if they want to shoot, they should shoot him, but not his Dalit brothers.

"People who think they control Dalits could not digest the fact that Dalit people getting to know about the BJP's good work and that is why they are in tizzy. They are indulging in raising issues using Dalits. I want to tell those people that if they have any problem, they should attack me, but stop attacking my Dalit brothers. If you want to shoot, shoot me, but don't shoot my Dalit brothers," said the Prime Minister, while addressing a Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Karyakarta Maha Sammelanam' here.

The Prime Minister further said, "Politics of breaking the society is not good for the country and discrimination among human beings is not acceptable to us. Shanti, Ekta, Sadbhavana are central to the progress of the nation. We have to protect the marginalised and the Dalits. It is our duty."

He called upon the nation to embark on a 'Saffron Revolution' by bringing about sweeping changes in the Energy Sector.

"When I talk about 'Saffron Revolution', it raises many eyebrows; but, I say there must be a saffron revolution in the country as saffron is colour of 'energy'. There must be an 'energy revolution'," said the Prime Minister, adding, "Second, there must be 'white revolution' in the country. Cattle are out assets, and must give impetus to dairy production."

Reminding people of the importance of August 7 in our history, Prime Minister Modi said, "Today is August 7. This day has a lot of significance in Indian history as Swadeshi Movement got different dimension on this day. When my government came to power, we decided to celebrate this day as 'National Handloom Day'.

Talking about corruption-free governance, he said, "Earlier, first news on TV used to be related to corruption. It has been over two years now since there has been no such 'stain' on this government.