13.7.22

India ‘mother of all democracies’: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking at a rally at the temple town of Deoghar cautioned against ‘short-cut’ politics based on populism, which he said can lead to “short-circuit” of a nation.

Modi also asserted at a separate function at Patna on the occasion centenary celebrations of Bihar assembly that India was the “mother of all democracies”. He said the nation drew from the legacy of ancient republics like Vaishali, and expressed satisfaction over the nation’s march towards becoming a mature democracy.

“India is a democracy because we believe in ‘Samanjasya’ (harmony)…. . We are often told that India is the largest democracy. I would like countrymen to remember that we are not just the largest; India is the mother of all democracies,” he claimed.

He recalled that the state was home to Vaishali, said to be the oldest republic in the world. “Many people say that democracy came to India because of western influence. By doing so they undermine the legacy of Bihar,” the PM said, recalling events like Champaran Satyagrah of Mahatma Gandhi to make his point. He also said the nation was “on its way to becoming a mature democracy” which was evident from “better attendance of lawmakers inside Parliament and state assemblies” and “discarding of obsolete laws”.

Addressing a BJP organised public rally earlier in the day at Deoghar after inaugurating and laying foundation stones of projects worth over Rs 16,800 crore, the prime minister said those who indulge in “short-cut politics” would not have got such projects done.

Modi also said India is land of faith and spirituality, and pilgrimages shaped “us as a better society and country”, as he spoke at the public meeting, held ahead of the auspicious ‘shravani mela’. “The government is making investment to provide modern infrastructure at places associated with faith, spirituality and historical importance,” he said, referring to Ayodhya, Kashi Vishawnath and Baba Baidyanath temple here.

Urging people to refrain from politics based on populist measures, Modi said it is a challenge before the country. “The country faces a major challenge of short-cut politics, but it is a big truth that the country whose politics is based on it can have short-circuit. . . It can destroy a country,” Modi said.

“It is very easy to get votes from people by taking populist measures, adopting short-cut politics without thinking about far-reaching consequences,” the PM said. 

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