"Self-appointed guardians" are creating social tension beacuse they are threatened by the National Democratic Alliance government's commitment to work for Dalits, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday. Terming the recent incidents of assault on members of the community a social problem, he said, "Thousands of years of injustice had kept the wounds open. The slightest of damage will cause a lot of pain." He also said that such incidents should not be given a political colour.

Speaking to New18, Modi said, "All those self-appointed guardians who were trying to create tensions in the country did not like this — that Modi is with Dalits, that Modi devotes himself to tribals… Those who see this as an obstruction to their politics are the ones creating trouble." According to him, economic development was not the only solution to the problems in the country, "peace, unity and harmony is essential for society".

Speaking of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the prime minister said the poison of casteism and communal vote bank politics has caused enough damage, and hence, his party will only focus on the issue of development while contesting the polls in 2017. He said an entire section of our society chose a majority government over vote-bank politics in 2014, and something similar might happen in the poll-bound state as well.