Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern that in recent times, there has been a trend to put ideological or political interests above the interest of the society and the country. Many times, some opposition parties put obstacles in the work of the government because when they were in power, they could not implement the decisions themselves.
Addressing the programme on the 10th Punyatithi of Late Shri Harmohan Singh Yadav, a former MP, MLC, MLA and Shaurya Chakra awardee and a towering figure and leader of the Yadav community, he asserted that the people of the country do not like this.
“It is the responsibility of every political party that the opposition of a party or an individual should not turn into opposition to the country. Ideologies and political ambition have their place, and they should have. But, country, society and nation come first”, he added.
Recalling the words of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Prime Minister underlined the primacy of the nation above party politics. He said “parties exist because of democracy, and democracy exists because of the country. Most of the parties in our country, especially all the non-Congress parties have also followed this idea and the ideal of cooperation and coordination for the country”.
He gave examples of the 1971 war, the Atomic test and the fight against the Emergency to illustrate the feeling of political parties to put up a united front for the country. “When the country’s democracy was crushed during the Emergency, all the major parties, we all came together and fought to save the Constitution. Chaudhary Harmohan Singh Yadav ji was also a brave soldier in that struggle. That is, the interests of our country and society are always bigger than ideologies”, he added.
Modi said in the original Indian thought, society is not an issue of contention or debate and is seen as a framework of cohesion and collectivity. He remembered that Dr Lohia worked to strengthen the cultural strength of the country by organising Ramayana fairs and caring for Ganga.
He said that India is realising these dreams by initiatives like Namami Gange, reviving the cultural symbols of the society and emphasising the importance of duty along with ensuring rights. He stressed that for the service of society, it is also necessary that we accept the spirit of social justice, and adopt it.
Today, he said that when the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav on 75 years of its independence, it is very important to understand this and move in this direction. The Prime Minister noted that social justice means that every section of society should get equal opportunities, and no one should be deprived of the basic necessities of life. Dalits, Backward, Adivasis, Women, Divyang, when they come forward, only then the country will go ahead. Harmohan ji considered education most important for this change.
