New Delhi, Oct 20: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called upon citizens to adopt a ‘Nation First’ pledge to jointly identify and defeat the enemies of ‘Maa Bharati’, especially forces that harm national honour, divide society and harbour hatred toward Indian culture.
Participating in the Vijaya Dashami celebrations in the national capital, Modi also highlighted India’s tradition of keeping Lord Ram’s ideals alive, proclaiming the end of tyranny and terror, and upholding the victory of eternal truth over falsehood.
The prime minister’s comments came as his government faces protests led by the opposition and the Cockroach Janta Party seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls.
The BJP has alleged that the protests, which were held in the national capital and several other places in different states, were staged at the behest of foreign forces that do not want the country’s progress.
“Everyone should adopt a ‘Nation First’ pledge to jointly identify and defeat the enemies of Maa Bharati, specifically forces that harm national honour, divide society, and harbour hatred toward Indian culture. “When we stand with truth and humanity, then in the end, victory is ours,” he said.
The prime minister also recalled the immense hardships that Lord Ram faced without ever forsaking truth and morality.
Quoting Sanskrit verses to illustrate Lord Ram’s equanimity during both his royal coronation and his exile, the prime minister highlighted how Lord Ram upheld righteousness through every crisis and established truth.
“Lord Ram established benchmarks of mercy, compassion, love, and harmony,” he said.
Modi said India is maintaining “the tradition of keeping Lord Ram’s ideals alive”, proclaiming the end of tyranny and terror, and upholding the victory of eternal truth over falsehood”.
“The tradition of keeping the ideals of Lord Ram alive, the proclamation of the end of tyranny and terror, and the firm belief in the victory of eternal truth over falsehood — these are not merely festivals for us; they are the very life energy of India,” he said
The prime minister said Lord Ram taught everyone that the obstacles on the path cannot stop the journey. “The ocean lay ahead and Lanka was far, but the resolve was firm,” he said.
Therefore, he said, Lord Ram awakened the collective strength of the people, made public participation his support, and brought together the available resources, making an apparently impossible goal possible.
Modi said this is the fundamental formula for success: trust in one’s own power, confidence in one’s capability, proper utilisation of resources, and an unwavering commitment to the goal.
“We must fulfil every aspiration of the people through public welfare powered by people’s strength, and for this too, we must draw inspiration from Lord Ram himself,” he said.
