New Delhi: Taking a jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently meditating at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanyakumari, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Friday highlighted a quote from Swami Vivekananda. Yechury reminded Modi of Vivekananda’s words, where he expressed pity for those who dream of the “exclusive survival” of their own religion.
In a post on X, Yechury questioned if Modi is aware of the concluding words of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Vivekananda, a Hindu monk, philosopher, and disciple of mystic Ramakrishna Paramhansa, delivered his iconic speech between September 11-27, 1893.
“Is Modi aware of these concluding words of Swami Vivekananda at the final session of the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 27, 1893?” Yechury asked, sharing a quote from the speech:
“If anybody dreams of the exclusive survival of his religion and the destruction of the others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, despite resistance: ‘Help and not Fight,’ ‘Assimilation and not Destruction,’ ‘Harmony and Peace and not Dissension.’”
The CPI(M) and other opposition parties have criticized remarks made by Modi and other BJP leaders during their campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls, the final phase of which will take place on Saturday. The Left party has filed several complaints against Modi and other BJP leaders for violations of the Model Code of Conduct, including Modi’s speech in Banswara, Rajasthan.
During a rally in Banswara on April 21, Modi suggested that if the Congress comes to power, it would “redistribute” wealth to Muslims.
Modi began his 45-hour meditation at the Vivekananda Rock Memorial on Thursday evening. After arriving from Thiruvananthapuram by helicopter, Modi worshipped at the Bhagavathi Amman temple and reached the rock memorial by ferry service to begin his meditation, which is scheduled to continue until June 1.
