New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda in the JNU campus, for long an ideological battlefield for the Left and Hindutva groups, and asserted that people''s ideologies should be seen standing with and not against the country in matters of national interest.
Giving priority to one''s ideology over national interest has harmed the democratic system of the country a lot, Modi said in his address to students after unveiling the statue through video conferencing.
"Everybody is proud of his ideology and this is natural. But our ideology should be seen standing with the nation and not against it in matters of national interest," he said.
He spoke of the independence struggle and the movement against the Emergency to note that people of different ideological persuasions had joined hands for national interest without compromising their ideologies to make his point.
So when the question is about the national integrity and interests, then taking a decision under the burden of one''s ideology harms the nation, Modi said.
"It is wrong to believe that one will think and act in a certain framework in matters of national interest solely because this is what one''s ideology says," he said.
Jawaharlal Nehru University has long been considered a citadel of the Left, with student unions affiliated to it calling the shots in the campus.
The BJP and Hindutva groups, including RSS'' student wing ABVP, have often claimed that groups with "anti-national" sentiments have found support from the Left-affiliated groups in the campus.
There have been violent clashes between them at times in past.
The decision to instal a life-size statue of Vivekananda, a widely-respected Hindu monk who the prime minister considers an idol, in the campus is imbued with rich symbolism.
The statue, Modi expressed confidence, will teach people immense dedication to the nation and intense love for our country which, he added, is the prime message of Vivekananda''s life.
The statue will inspire us to realise his dream of a strong and prosperous India, Modi said, noting that he had said at the start of 20th century that the next century will belong to India.
Referring to the renowned university's culture of debate and discussion of different ideas, he said they can now also do it in the statue''s shadow.
In his address, Modi said good reforms were earlier considered bad politics but now it is good politics because his government''s intentions and commitment are pure, and it has prepared a "protection shield" for the poor and other vulnerable sections before carrying them out.