TIO, New Delhi
Sharing his experience of Emergency with the students of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said one doesn’t need to sacrifice his or her own ideology to fight for a common, greater cause. “When people joined Mahatma Gandhi, they didn’t leave their ideologies. I have seen Emergency days. There were so many people from various political beliefs — from Congress, from RSS. But we were all united by a common cause of national interest,” PM Modi said, unveiling a statue of Swami Vivekananda at the university campus via video-conferencing.
“Placing individual ideologies before national good is wrong,” the Prime Minister said in his speech where he also gave some tips to JNU students. “Don’t accept status quo. Swami Vivekananda never accepted status quo. Do’t forget to laugh. I often see young people so serious as if the burden of the entire world is on them,” PM Modi said.
His speech also dwelled on politics, reforms and reforms brought by the BJP government. Talking about reforms and politics, Modi said there was a time when good reforms were considered to be bad politics. Urging JNU students to debate on this, the PM asked, “How did good reforms become good politics? You at JNU must deliberate on this.”
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi elaborated on the reforms taken by his government, he said the new National Education Police is based on the policy of inclusion, which will make sure students can get admission to universities like JNU.
“All our reforms are aimed at development. For years, farmers remained a topic of political discussion. But we gave them security and then started reforms,” PM Modi said. Slamming the previous governments for dissociating the poor from the system, the Prime Minister said, “Now they have house, toilet, electricity, paid internet connection like others.”
