India

Talking about Vivekananda not enough, Congress tells Modi

Talking about Vivekananda not enough, Congress tells Modi

The Congress on Monday advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “not only preach” but also “practise in letter and spirit” what he says and accused his government of insulting the memory of Swami Vivekananda by acting “opposite” to his teachings.

“The bottom line is that we expect the Prime Minister to not only preach but also practise in letter and spirit the message, the theme, the true ‘aatman’ of what Swami Vivekananda said,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told reporters here.

“Unfortunately, three years down the line of this government, we are seeing the preaching attaining new heights of glory and prose. The practice is completely the opposite, attaining the depths of despair in real life India,” he said.

He was referring to Modi’s speech to mark the 125th Year of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago Address.

Singhvi said Swami Vivekananda personified the eternal energy of the Indian youth and their incessant quest for truth.

“But you don’t insult him like this when surreptitiously you disobey the path shown by him,” he said.

He accused the government of encouraging “a culture of hate, bigotry, narrow mindedness, parochialism, politics of prejudice and division”.

“Do you really in any sense of the word follow Swami Vivekananda in precept, practice, sprit or action? This government’s use and actions including views are the diametric opposite of what the great men like Swami Vivekananda preached espoused or represented,” Singhvi said.

He said Modi government decided “what we wear, what we eat, where do we move, what we practice, what we do and how we live our lives.”

“It has completely strangulated any kind of dissent and divergence of views. The recent incident of lynchings, the murder of free-thinkers, rationalists, dissenters is a grim reminder of the times we live in,” Singhvi said.

Referring to Modi’s speech in which he talked of respecting women, Singhvi said there were growing atrocities against them including in the BJP-ruled states.

He also referred to Modi’s Make in India pitch and said in one quarter of this year, 15 lakh jobs had been lost.

Referring to Clean India Mission, Singhvi said 51 per cent of the households did not have an improved sanitation system.

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