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Aligarh (UP), December 22 (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said ideological and political differences should be set aside for the sake of development and assured that nobody will be left behind in the path to progress because of their religion.
Politics can wait, society can wait. But the country's development cannot wait, he said at the centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University, which he called mini-India and lauded for its diversity.
Modi said the country is now moving on a path where people would get the benefits of development without any bias, and where they are assured of their constitutional rights.
The country today is moving on a path where nobody should be left behind because of their religion, he added.
He said the government's welfare scheme have benefitted everyone without discrimination, following the Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas motto.
Listing some of them, he said, What belongs to the country belongs to every citizen. Everybody should get it.
In the address delivered through video conference, he said development should not be seen through the prism of politics.
"We have to understand that politics is an important aspect of society. But in society there are also issues other than politics, Modi said.
He released a postage stamp commemorating 100 years of AMU.
He said there is space beyond siyasat' (politics) and satta' (power), which should be explored by campuses like AMU. It is natural to have differences in society. But when the issue is securing national goals, these differences should be set aside.
Modi listed economic development, education, standard of living and nationalism (`rastravaad') among the common goals.
This was the first time in over five decades that a prime minister participated in an AMU event, after Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964.
He called AMU "mini India". Urdu and Hindi, Arabic and Sanskrit are all taught on the campus, he said. Along with Quran, the translations of Gita and Ramayana are kept in the library.
"This diversity is the country's strength. We have to neither forget it nor let it get weakened," he said.
He said over 1,000 foreign students are studying at AMU and it is important to showcase the country's greatness to them.
The PM advised AMU scholars to conduct research on unknown freedom fighters and highlight their contribution.
He also praised AMU's efforts in fighting coronavirus by conducting free COVID-19 tests, setting up a plasma bank and contributing to the PM Care fund.
Education Minister Ram Pokhriyal 'Nishank', AMU chancellor Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin and vice chancellor Tariq Mansoor also addressed the virtual event.
Before Modi, Lal Bahadur Shastri attended an AMU event as prime minister in 1964. Earlier, Jawaharlal Nehru visited the campus four times, beginning with 1948 when an honorary doctorate was conferred on him at the annual convocation. This was followed by visits in 1955, 1960 and 1963.
