In a significant speech to mark centenary celebrations at the Aligarh Muslim University which was
wracked by anti-CAA protests a year ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said politics can wait but development cannot even as he assured that the government's policies will work towards ensuring no one is deprived on the basis of religion.
Modi said the country is moving on a path where every citizen is assured of his or her constitution-given rights with no one left behind due to one’s religion and this is the basis of the ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas’ pledge. He dwelled on several initiatives for the poor that he said benefited all without discrimination. “I will remind you of something Sir Syed said. A person, who thinks of their country, works for the welfare of every person, irrespective of community, religion. For national development, all differences must be set aside. We have to work on a common ground,” he said, recalling the AMU founder.
Attending the AMU event via video-conferencing, Modi said development should not be seen through a political prism and that it should be possible to agree on some elements of national interest. “We must realise that politics is an important part of society, but there are many other issues in society besides politics. There are some elements that may have an issue with this. They can be found in all countries. They will spread negativity. But these people will be sidelined if we work for the betterment of the country keeping politics aside. Politics can wait, society can wait, (but) the country can’t wait for development, the poor and disadvantaged can’t wait for development.”
“The country is today proceeding on a path where everyone gets equal opportunities to progress,” the PM said and underlined AMU’s inclusive nature, which he said represents a “mini India”. “On the one side, Urdu is taught, on the other, Hindi. Arabic is taught and so is Sanskrit. In the library, next to Quran manuscripts, translations of Gita and Ramayana rest with just as much care. This diversity is the strength of institutions like AMU and of India. We should not forget this, or let it weaken. The sentiment of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ should be strengthened on the AMU campus.”
In an important reference, Modi said gender is a “priority” area for the government. “The dropout rate among Muslim girls was more than 70%. This situation persisted for 70 years. Then, the government started the Swachh Bharat Mission, built toilets in villages and schools. Now, that has dropped to 30 per cent.”
