India, Jan. 12 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the forces that opposed the reconstruction of the Somnath temple after independence "are still active among us," urging India to remain alert, united, and strong to defeat them.

Addressing a large gathering at the Somnath Swabhiman Parv, Modi highlighted the temple's history of resilience, noting that despite repeated attacks over a millennium, its spirit and faith were never defeated. "The hearts of people can never be won at the point of a sword," he said.

Modi recalled how the historic Somnath temple, repeatedly attacked from Mahmud of Ghazni in 1026 to Mughal ruler Aurangzeb in the 17th and 18th centuries, was often portrayed as merely looted, concealing the true religiou...