New Delhi: Members of the Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, expressed displeasure at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for making “political statements” at the Belur Math, the mission’s headquarters – an accusation that was echoed by opposition parties.
At the Belur Math in Howrah district of West Bengal, Modi addressed people on the occasion of National Youth Day – hosted by the mission to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda – and reiterated his government’s refusal to back down on the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). According to reports, he accused those opposing the amended law of “playing political games” and “fuelling misconceptions among the youth”.
“What is there in this Act? Why was it needed? There are a lot of questions in the minds of the youth which have been fuelled by various people. Lot of youth have awareness. Yet, there are some who are victims of misconception, rumours. It is our responsibility to make them understand,” he said.
The CAA provides for easy passage to Indian citizenship for non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Ironically, several MPs quoted Vivekananda against Modi and Amit Shah’s draft law, noting that in his famous 1893 Chicago speech, the swami had said he was “proud to speak for a land that had always offered refuge to the persecuted from all nations and faiths.”
