Violent suppression won't be tolerated: Narendra Modi

PM says for centuries, our forefathers have imbibed community values, non-violence, mutual respect

When on the one hand, a sense of festivity pervades the land, on the other, news of violence comes in from one part of the country — it is only natural to be concerned. Ours is the country of Buddha and Gandhi, it is the land of Sardar Patel, who gave up his all for the unity of the nation. For centuries, our forefathers have imbibed community values, non-violence, mutual respect — these are inherent to us. We have been hearing and saying Ahimsa Paramo Dharma from our childhood. In my address from the ramparts of the Red Fort, I had said that violence in the name of faith will not be tolerated, whether it is communal belief systems, subscribing to political ideologies, allegiance to a person or customs and traditions. No one has the right to take the law into one’s own hands in the name of one’s beliefs. In the Constitution given to us by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, there is every provision for ensuring justice for each and every person. I want to assure my countrymen that people who take the law into their own hands and are on the path of violent suppression — whether it is a person or a group — neither this country nor any government will tolerate it. Each and every person will have to abide by the law; the law will fix accountability and the guilty will unquestionably be punished.

My dear countrymen, our country is a land of diversities —these diversities are not limited to our cuisine, lifestyle and attire. We observe diversity in every walk of life. Even our festivals are replete with diversity. Ours is a rich cultural heritage, spanning thousands of years — when we look at our cultural traditions, social customs, historical events, there would hardly be a day left in the year, which is not connected with a festival. You would have noticed that all our festivals follow the almanac of nature. There is a direct connect with nature. Many of our festivals are linked straightaway with farmers and fishermen.

Speaking about festivals today, I would first like to wish you all Michhami Dukkadam. The Jain community celebrated the Samvatsari Parva yesterday. In the month of Bhadra, Paryushan Parva is celebrated by the community. The last day of Paryushan Parva is observed as Samvatsari. This is indeed a remarkable tradition. The festival of Samvatsari is symbolic of forgiveness, non-violence and brotherhood. It is also known as the Kshamavani Parva, and on this day, people traditionally greet each other with, “Michhami Dukkadam”. We have been hearing in our shastras, our holy texts, “Kshama Veerasya Bhushanam”, that is, forgiveness is the adornment of the brave. The one who forgives is valiant. And Mahatma Gandhi always said, forgiveness is the quality of great men. 

Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated with fervour across the country. When we speak of Ganesh Chaturthi, it is but natural to talk about Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav, that is, community celebrations of the Ganesh Festival. This tradition was established by Bal Gangadhar Tilak 125 years ago and it was 125 years ago that Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav became a symbol of India’s struggle for freedom. And after Independence, this festival has become a vehicle of raising social and educational awareness. This Mahaparva, mega festival stands for unity, equality, integrity and honesty. My heartiest greetings to all of you on the occasion of Ganeshotsav.

Onam is being celebrated in Kerala. This festival is known for its social and cultural significance. It gives the message of love and harmony, awakens new hopes and aspirations and gives new confidence to the people. And I would like to mention to my countrymen, that festivals like Navaratri in Gujarat, or Durga Utsav in Bengal are tremendous tourist attractions. Other festivals of our country, too, provide an opportunity to attract foreign visitors. We should think about what more can be done in this direction.

In this series of festivals, Eid-ul-Zuha will be celebrated in a few days from now. Heartiest felicitations and best wishes to all countrymen on Eid-ul-Zuha. Festivals are of course symbols of faith and belief; in the new India, we should transform them into symbols of cleanliness as well. In individual households, festivals and cleanliness are linked together. In fact, preparations for festivals always begin with cleaning. This is nothing new for us, but it is important to convert it into a social character. Public cleanliness must be insisted upon not just in our homes but in our villages, towns, cities, states and in our entire country.

My dear countrymen, definitions of being modern are perpetually changing. These days, a new measure to gauge a new dimension, a new parameter, has come into being. It determines what your upbringing has been, how modern you are, how modern your thinking is. And that measure is your level of environment consciousness. Are your activities eco-friendly, environment-friendly or otherwise? It is considered to be unacceptable in society today if you are not environment-friendly. And as a result of this I find that the eco-friendly Ganpati in this Ganesh Festival has turned into a huge campaign. If you go on YouTube, you will see that children in every home are making earthen Ganesh idols and colouring them. Some are using vegetable colours, while some are pasting bits and pieces of paper. All sorts of experiments are being carried out in every family. This is probably the first-of-its-kind, the most widespread experiment in environment consciousness. Media houses, too, are making a great effort in training people, inspiring them and guiding them towards eco-friendly Ganesh idols. And as I mentioned, our country is blessed with millions and millions of the brightest of brains. And it is nice to see all sorts of new innovations. Someone told me about a gentleman, who is an engineer and who has collected and combined special varieties of clay, to give training in making Ganesh idols. The Ganesh Visarjan or immersion is done in a small bucket of water, where the idol dissolves in no time. He didn’t stop there. A tulsi sapling was sowed in it. The campaign for cleanliness initiated three years ago will be marking its third anniversary on October 2. And the positive results are now being seen. Toilets have increased from 39 per cent to almost 67 per cent of the population. More than 2.30 lakh villages have declared themselves open defecation-free.

Gujarat saw devastating floods recently. Many people lost their lives. When the waters receded, there was so much filth everywhere. That is when, in Dhanera in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat, volunteers of Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind cleaned 22 affected temples and two mosques in a phased manner. The volunteers set a fine, inspiring example of unity for cleanliness. If this committed effort towards cleanliness become inherent to us, our country will certainly take our nation to greater heights.

Edited excerpts from the English rendering of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat, broadcast from New Delhi on August 27