New Delhi, December 8: Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that conservation and the development of cultural heritage are not contradictory. He said that earlier, no one believed that a temple could be built at the birthplace of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya.
Shah was addressing the inaugural session of the 69th National Conference of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at Burari Ground in Delhi on Friday. Referring to those who raised questions about the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he said that earlier no one believed that the Ram temple could be built in Ayodhya.
Shah also invited those raising questions about the construction of the Ram temple to eat sweets in Ayodhya on January 22. He said that conservation and the development of cultural heritage are not contradictory. “Our heritage is the key to modern development. We have embraced our cultural heritage, and the world has given it due credit.”
Amit Shah told ABVP workers that the golden future of this country is waiting for you. There have been tremendous changes in the country in the last 10 years. Instead of ‘scams’, “we now have new’schemes’, instead of ‘politics of appeasement, nepotism, and casteism’, we now have politics of demonstration.”
He said that India’s time has come. Today, the world is looking towards India with hope for the solution to every problem. “It is the responsibility of all of you, youth, to make this change sustainable and create the India of our imagination.”
Referring to his association with ABVP, Shah said, ?I have no hesitation in saying that I am an organic product of ABVP.? He said that he is feeling proud to be present here today as the chief guest of the national convention.
Shah said, ?Only that person can experience this, who started by sitting at the end of the pandal in the Rajkot convention and is standing here today as the chief guest.?
Describing ABVP as the largest organisation in the education system, he said that it not only tries to remove the shortcomings of the education system but also helps in building the character of its students.
He said that the ABVP has played an important role in the development of the country since its inception. Be it the language movement, the education movement, or the preservation of culture, ABVP has always been at the forefront.
He said that the students of Vidyarthi Parishad are progressing in every field of the country, be it education, media, or politics. The Student Council has raised every small and big problem of its students over the years. On my arrival, there was an echo of ‘Kashmir or Guwahati, Apna Desh Apni Mitti’! (Be it Kashmir or Guwahati, it is our country; it is our soil!) Don’t worry; I assure you, Kashmir is ours! The North-East is ours!”
The Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has resolved that India will become a world leader in the coming 25 years. He said that the resolution of Amrit Mahotsav and Amrit Kaal that Narendra Modi has “put before the country is for you because all of you will be there to see it”. When 100 years of independence are completed, the responsibility of creating the India of the imagination of all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for that independence rests with an organisation like Vidyarthi Parishad and the immense youth power.
He said that youth power is the backbone of any country, and only youth power works to take the country and society to their peak. Many youth in India have changed the era.
“You don’t even need to search for a path; you have to follow the path of knowledge, modesty, and unity that generations of Vidyarthi Parishad have created over the
last 75 years. You just need to be determined,” Shah concluded.
