Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that one thing that had damaged the country’s democratic set-up heavily was the tendency to put one’s ideology over the national interest.
Modi was speaking after unveiling a statue of Swami Vivekananda at Jawaharlal Nehru University, a centre of Left and liberal thought that the Sangh parivar sees as one of its principal ideological adversaries.
“Kisi ek baat jisne hamare desh ki loktantrik vyavastha ko bahut nuksan pahunchaya hai, woh hai rashtraheet se jyada prathamikta apni vichardhara ko dena (One thing that has damaged our democratic system heavily is the attachment of greater importance to one’s ideology than the national interest),” Modi said, addressing the students through videoconference.
The students had broken into chants of “Modiji ko jai Shri Ram, jai Shri Ram” as soon as the Prime Minister’s face appeared on a giant screen installed on the campus. Cries of “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Vande mataram” were heard too, and Modi waved backed in acknowledgment.
“Because my ideology says this, so in matters of national interest too I shall think and work according to my ideology — this is not the right path,” Modi said.
“Yeh raasta sahi nahi doston, yeh galat hai (This path is not right, my friends, it’s wrong),” he emphasised.
The RSS-BJP has been striving to control the JNU campus since Modi came to power in 2014 but the university continues to be dominated by Left student unions.
Leaders of the BJP and its parivar partners have repeatedly described JNU’s Left student leaders as “urban Naxals” and “anti-nationals”. Modi didn’t use such terms but said that whatever pride one may take in one’s ideology, no compromise was acceptable in matters of national interest.
“Today, everyone takes pride in one’s ideology. It’s natural. But in matters of national interest, it (one’s ideology) should be seen to be on the side of the nation, not against the nation,” he said, raising his index finger to stress the point.
Modi highlighted how, in the past, people of different ideological beliefs had united under Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership to fight for the country’s independence.
He also cited the example of the Jana Sangh — the BJP’s predecessor — Left parties and socialists joining forces to oppose the Emergency.
“In the struggle against the Emergency, former Congress leaders and workers, RSS swayamsevaks, the Jana Sangh, socialists and even the communists had come together. Many people associated with JNU too had joined them. None of them needed to compromise with their ideology,” Modi said.
“When it’s a matter of the country’s unity and integrity, taking a decision burdened by one’s ideology harms the interest of the country.”
At the same time, compromising with one’s ideology to serve selfish interests is wrong, Modi said.
