Updated: November 12, 2020 10:33:05 pm
Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his virtual speech. (Youtube / NarendraModi)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda on Thursday at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi.
Addressing the meeting virtually, the prime minister said he hopes the statue on campus will inspire everyone and instill the courage and compassion that Swami Vivekananda wanted to see in everyone.
“I hope this statue teaches us an intense love for our country. I hope it inspires our country to move forward with a vision of youth-led development, ”said Prime Minister Modi.
The event was also attended by the Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and the Vice Chancellor of the JNU, Jagadesh Kumar.
Explained | What you need to know about the Vivekananda statue that Modi unveiled at JNU
Prime Minister Modi also asserted that people may have ideological differences, but that ideology should be seen as supporting and not opposing the nation on matters of national interest.
Giving one’s ideology priority over the national interest has greatly damaged the country’s democratic system, he told students.
The event was also attended by the Union Minister of Education, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and the Vice Chancellor of JNU, Jagadesh Kumar.
Remembering Vivekananda, said the prime minister. “When we were oppressed during colonialism, Swami Vivekananda went to the University of Michigan at the beginning of the last century and said that although this century is yours, the next will belong to India.”
“It is our responsibility to make his vision come true,” he added.
Speaking about India’s new National Education Policy (NEP), Modi said that the policy is in line with what Swami Vivekanda wanted.
“Swami Vivekanda wanted education in the country to be such that it would give people self-confidence and make them ‘atmanirbhar’ in every way. The new National Education Policy goes along the same lines and has inclusion at its core ”, he said.
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– PMO India (@PMOIndia) November 12, 2020
In his speech, Modi also said that good reforms were previously considered bad policy, but now it is good policy because his government’s intentions and commitment are pure, and he has prepared a “shield of protection” for the poor and others. vulnerable sectors before carrying out the reforms. .
People have backed our reform measures with their votes, he said, referring to the BJP’s performance in the recently concluded Bihar polls and by-elections.
Speaking to the media earlier today before the inauguration, JNU Deputy Foreign Minister Jagadesh Kumar said that the JNU fraternity is “very happy that our prime minister is inaugurating the statue of Swami Vivekananda.”
However, the invitation to Modi, even virtual, angered JNUSU, which believes that the Modi government “openly supported” campus violence and is targeting universities with the National Education Policy that will result in funding cuts. and privatization of education.
The statue’s approval at JNU was first granted by the JNU Executive Council (EC) on June 30, 2017. At the time, the administration had said it was installing the statue to give the campus a “nicer look. “like Vivekananda. he had contributed to “nation building.”
It was decided that the statue would be erected with a “suitable elevated platform, stone walkways, benches, lights and interconnected works, including utilities.” Rector III, Rana Pratap Singh, had said The Indian Express the statue’s suggestion had come from JNU’s engineering department.
In November 2019, the JNU administration also filed a police report saying that the statue, which was covered by a saffron veil, had been defaced and that messages had been written “especially directed at a political party and a group of people wearing saffron-colored clothing. ” ”.
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