STATE TIMES NEWS
AHMEDABAD: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said “almost all” pending ideological tasks including the abrogation of Article 370 have been completed by the Narendra Modi government, and it will continue on the same path in its third tenure.
The senior BJP leader was speaking after inaugurating the Hindu Spiritual & Service Fair, also known as `Hindu Adhyatmik Seva Mela’, at the Gujarat University grounds here.
There was a time when Hindus hesitated to disclose their identity in their own country, he claimed.
“In ten years, the situation has changed. Now, almost all the pending works as per our ideology have been completed, be it the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, abolition of triple talaq and implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC),” he said.
Notably, while the UCC has not been implemented at the national level, BJP-ruled Uttarakhand has introduced it and Shah had told the Rajya Sabha last month that it would be implemented in all the states.
While the Modi government completed these unfinished works in ten years, earlier governments had not touched them for 70 years, Shah further said in his speech here.
The Modi government will continue in the same direction in its third tenure, he added.
He also noted that it was a matter of pride that “170 countries accepted Yoga.”
“During the G20 Summit, leaders from across the world came here and offered their tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, which is also a matter of pride for us. The government was successful in bringing back nearly 350 stolen idols of our deities from across the world,” the Union minister said.
Talking about the Hindu Adhyatmik Seva Mela, Shah said Hindu temples and organisations served society in various ways including educating tribals or providing healthcare to lakhs of poor citizens, but never publicized their work.
He thanked the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for bringing all such service-oriented Hindu organisations under one roof through this event so that people understand the contribution of these institutions.
The Seva Mela has some 200 stalls of Hindu organisations working for the betterment of society, including one dedicated to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, the 18th century ruler of Indore state who restored nearly 200 temples including Somnath which were destroyed by Muslim invaders, he noted.
Ob Maha Kumbh, the Union Home Minister said no other event in the world conveys a more powerful message of harmony and unity than this where anyone can take a dip in the Ganga irrespective of identity.
People across the world are in awe after watching the scale on which the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj has been organised, he said, adding that Ambassadors of various countries requested him for “invitation cards”.
“I told them there is no formal invitation for this mega gathering, because crores of people converge here on their own at a specific time as per the alignment of the planets,” Shah added.
They could not believe that 40 crore people gather at a place without any invitation, he said.
When asked who organises the whole thing, “I told them what the government does is very small in comparison to what religious leaders, saints and their organisations do for the people going there,” said the minister.
“Kumbh gives a message of harmony and unity because no one asks which religion, sect or caste you belong to. You will get food without any discrimination and go back home after taking a holy dip. No other event in the world conveys a more powerful message of harmony and unity than Maha Kumbh,” Shah said.
Despite such a large number of pilgrims gathering, no one lives in hotels because everyone gets accommodation in the tents on the banks of the Ganga, noted the Union minister.
Such arrangements have been there for ages, even during the Mughal and British rules and when Congress was in power, he noted, while urging the people of Gujarat, especially the younger generation, to visit Maha Kumbh.
He himself will visit Maha Kumbh on January 27 to take a holy dip in the Ganga, Shah said.