There is something that keeps India marching ahead: PM

New Delhi: On a day Pakistani troops carried out a major attack on the Line of Control (LoC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said there is something in India because of which it keeps marching ahead despite the inimical forces.

Releasing a commemorative stamp on theologian and philosopher Ramanujacharya in New Delhi, he recited a couplet to emphasise that India's map has not changed over thousands of years while many countries have disappeared during this period.

"Kuch baat hai ki hasti mit ti nahi hamari, sadiyon se raha hai dushman daur-e-zaman hamara (there is something because of which our existence is not affected, otherwise for centuries there have been forces inimical to us)," Modi quoted while addressing a small gathering on the occasion.

"The world map has changed. Many nations have perished but our Bharat, our Hindustan, is marching ahead with the mantra of 'sabka sath, sabka vikas' (cooperation of all, development for all)," he added.

His comments coincided with the news about Pakistani troops beheading two Indian soldiers after crossing the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prime Minister said the government is working on the "weaknesses and constraints that hold us back" and appealed to those in the audience too to set targets which are "tangible and measurable" as the country enters its 75th year of Independence in 2022.

He also invoked Ramanujacharya to condemn the practice of untouchability on the basis of caste and religion.