Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while declaring Modhera village in Gujarat India’s first 24x7 solar-powered village, spoke about how invaders in the past tried their best to raze the historic Sun Temple in Modhera and the atrocities they committed on the people of the region.

“What had they (invaders) not done to raze the temple? What atrocities were not inflicted by the invaders on the people of Modhera,” he said, adding “the same Modhera and this temple today has shown the way by becoming the first solar-powered village in the country.”

The Sun Temple in Modhera, 70 km from Ahmedabad, is a relic of stone masonry built during the Solanki Empire in Gujarat. The temple was attacked and invaded twice, first by Mahmud of Ghazni during his raid of Gujarat and then by Alauddin Khilji.

The Prime Minister’s reminder about the temple’s past comes a day after the ruling BJP flayed its rival, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, painting him as anti-Hindu ahead of the Assembly election in the State.

Speaking about solar power generation atop the roofs of offices and residences in Modhera, the Prime Minister pointed out that not only is the power so generated free, people can also earn money by selling the additional power to State utilities.

The Prime Minister also talked about infrastructure development in Ambaji, Somnath and other places, and said that all of them now attract tourists from across the country.

The Prime Minister is in Gujarat on a three-day visit to launch new projects and inaugurate a few completed projects ahead of the announcement of the poll schedule for the State Assembly election.

He will visit Jamnagar, Jambusar and Rajkot, besides Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, for various political and State government events.