New Delhi, September 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asked whether people have the right to say Vande Mataram when they cannot even keep the country clean. “Do we have the right to say Vande Mataram. I know my words will hurt many but do we have the right if we litter our country. We chew pan and then spit on Mother India. Can we utter Vande Mataram?” Modi said while addressing a students’ convention to mark the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address and BJP ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya’s centenary celebrations.
Thanking people who work to keep the country clean, Modi said, “I want to specially mention all those people who are working tirelessly to keep India clean. They are the first ones to have the right to say Vande Mataram. We might not clean our country but no one has the right to spill dirt on our Mother India.”
The theme of the convention is ‘Young India, New India’ and is being held on a day Vivekananda delivered his historic address at Chicago in 1893.
On September 9, 1893, Vivekanda delivered a historic address at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he eloquently quoted from Bhagvad Gita. “The 9/11 of 1893 was about love, harmony and brotherhood. Just with a few words, a youngster from India won over the world and showed the world the power of oneness,” Modi said.
