PM and Sonia slam BJP for communalism

New Delhi: Invoking the persona of Swami Vivekananda, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched a veiled attack at the BJP for spreading communalism and fanaticism, that threaten peace in the country.

At the closing ceremony of the commemoration of the 150th birth Anniversary Celebrations of Swami Vivekananda on Sunday, the Prime Minister quoted Swami Vivekananda as expressing the hope at the World Parliament of Religions in 1893 that “the bell that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal.”

Sonia stated that Swamiji at the World Parliament said that sectarianism, bigotry and fanaticism “have long possessed this beautiful Earth. They have filled the Earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilisation and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now.”

Sonia said: “Swamiji's words are all the more weighty today as religious fanaticism of all hues threatens the peace of many nations and our region. His ideas must be taken into the hearts and minds of our new generation of young Indians who will and must battle against fanaticism.” Swamiji teaches people not to fall prey to narrow- mindedness and selfish motives, she said.

Invoking the young profile of India , Sonia sought to connect with the youth for whom the teachings of Vivekananda are relevant. “All over the world populations are ageing. But the profile of our nation remains young. India of the 21st century is a known society with a young population. A population with high expectations and aspirations. They want to be educated better. They want to be governed better. They want to find employment that meets their aspirations. We should not and cannot fail them,” she said.

The Prime Minister quoted Swami Vivekananda as saying, “All who have actually attained any real religious experience never wrangle over the form in which the different religions are expressed. They know that the soul of all religions is the same and so they have no quarrel with anybody just because he or she does not speak in the same tongue.”

The three essential themes of Swamiji, according to the PM, are, “First, that all the great religions of the world seek peace on Earth and goodwill among all human beings. Second, that India’s true liberation would come when every Indian feels liberated from the scourge of poverty, ignorance and disease. Third, that India, this great motherland of ours, has much to learn from the world around us and, equally, much to teach the world and that a two-way flow of knowledge between India and the world can only be to our benefit and the benefit of all humanity.”

This syncretic and pluralistic view of religion is one of the greatest contributions of Hinduism and of the civilizations that took root in this ancient land. The idea that the whole world is one family has inspired millions of people all over the world. “But I also believe it is an idea that defines India and the Indian view of the world,” he said. True religion and true religiosity cannot be the basis of hatred and division, but of mutual respect and tolerance for the faiths and beliefs of all, he said.

The formal inauguration of this commemoration was held on January 12, 2013, by President Pranab Mukherjee at a function in the Rashtrapati Bhawan.