Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said an atmosphere of tension and violence is prevailing in the country as he stressed on the need to work for peace and harmony during an online event attended by PM Narendra Modi. He said that India's traditions had been rich and glorious, propagating the idea of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", which means all world is one family.
Rajasthan Chief Minister also countered the claims that the country did not progress for over seven decades after the Independence, a narrative used by political parties to target the Congress, which ruled a majority of the period. Gehlot was speaking at the national launch ceremony of the "Azadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav se Swarnim Bharat Ke Ore", organised virtually by the Brahma Kumaris, a spiritual movement.
The Prime Minister flagged off yearlong initiatives during the programme. "There is a need to strengthen peace, harmony and brotherhood in the country because it is being seen that there is an atmosphere of tension and violence, and it is the desire of all to get rid of it," Gehlot said.
He said that PM Modi visited other countries and got respect because the country had progressed in 75 years in science, technology and other areas, which is being valued by other nations. "We have a glorious history. As we are celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we should remember Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, B R Ambedkar, Lokmanya Tilak and others who struggled to get us freedom and because of them we have reached here in the past 75 years after Independence,” said the CM.
"Our country's identity is not new and from the ancient time, we have believed in Vasudhaiva kutumbakam, which means the world is one family," said the CM. "I believe that the country and society can progress only by walking on the path of truth and non-violence. The development will happen where there is peace and this is what we believe in," he added.
Meanwhile, the opposition BJP in Rajasthan shared on Twitter a part of the CM's speech, in which he is speaking about the violence in the country. The BJP compared it with the PM's speech, which the party said reflects “positive thinking”.
"On one hand, there is hateful thinking of the Congress and on the other is the positive thinking of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," the BJP tweeted sharing the video clip. Countering it, the chief minister's OSD Lokesh Sharma shared the complete speech and said false propaganda should not be run.
"The CM has talked about ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’. His thinking is that peace, harmony, brotherhood should be strong in the country, which is the biggest need," he said. Earlier, delivering the keynote address, Modi noted that one's progress is aligned with the nation's progress and stressed the need for giving importance to one's duties for the country's rise.
"We also have to admit that in the 75 years after Independence, a malaise has afflicted our society, our nation and us all. The malaise is that we turned away from our duties and did not give them primacy," he said. Launching more than 30 campaigns and 15,000 programmes, the prime minister said people only talked of their rights all these years and fought for them.
Speaking of rights may be right to some extent in certain circumstances but forgetting one's duties completely has played a huge role in keeping India weak, Modi said and called for everyone to work together to discharge their duties that will remove social ills and also take India to new heights. The Brahma Kumaris is a worldwide spiritual movement dedicated to personal transformation and world renewal. Founded in India in 1937, the Brahma Kumari movement has spread to over 130 countries. The event was held on the occasion of the 53rd ascension anniversary of Pitashree Prajapita Brahma, founder father of the movement.
With PTI Inputs
