Those undermining India’s honor, dignity her enemies: PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that those who undermine the country’s “honor and dignity” and “harbor a mindset of hatred toward our culture” are the enemies of the country and called on people to identify and defeat them.

Addressing the Vijayadashami celebrations at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, the Prime Minister said, “Vijayadashami is the festival of victory. It is the festival of triumph. This festival gives us the courage to believe that no matter how powerful the enemy may be, when we stand with truth and humanity, victory ultimately belongs to us. This spirit of Vijayadashami has always been India’s guiding philosophy.”

Quoting a Sanskrit couplet, the Prime Minister said, “Our sages inspired us: Samano mantrah samitih samani, samanam manah saha chittamesham. This means that our thoughts should be united, our councils should be united, and all institutions of the nation, all political parties, should stand together in the national interest.”

“We must move forward with this spirit. We must unite against the enemies of the nation. Those forces that attack the honour and dignity of the country, those who divide society, and those who harbour hatred towards our culture are enemies of the nation. On this auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, we must once again renew our resolve. We must identify the enemies of Mother India,” Modi said.

“We must defeat them. And, taking the pledge of Nation First, everyone must come together. I am confident that the vision we expressed during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony of the Ayodhya Temple — from “Ram se Rashtra” and from “Dev se Desh” — will certainly be fulfilled,” the Prime Minister said.

‘650 ancient idols brought back to India’

He further said that a nation progresses only when it possesses self-respect.

“Therefore, today the country is committed to preserving its heritage and identity. For centuries, our treasures were looted and taken abroad. But today, we are bringing those treasures back. In the past twelve years, more than six hundred and fifty ancient idols have been brought back to India… In recent years, many of our sites have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Last year, even Diwali was included by UNESCO in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is the result of the collective willpower of millions of Indians. We must continue to work with the same dedication,” he said.

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The Prime Minister said that the path followed by Lord Ram shows that difficulties on the path cannot stop our journey.

“Lord Ram taught us that difficulties on the path cannot stop our journey. The ocean stood before him. Lanka was far away. But the resolve was unwavering. Therefore, Lord Ram awakened the collective strength of the people. He made public participation his support. He united the available resources. And he made a goal that seemed impossible. This is the fundamental mantra of success. Faith in our own strength. Confidence in our own capability. Proper utilisation of our own resources. And unwavering commitment to our goal,” Modi said.

“Today, we too must move forward with this same mantra. Before us stands the goal of a Developed India,” he added.