Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Monday, urged society to unite to "thwart" the "conspiracy to separate India into pieces" by “persons with vested interests” by rekindling the fighting spirit of the century-long freedom struggle of India. Stating that the youth of the country must "live the goal of Viksit Bharat" for the next 25 years, Modi urged the sages of the Swaminarayan sect to "bring together the society" to “protect the unity and sovereignty” of India. The PM was virtually addressing a gathering to mark the 200th-year celebrations of the Vadtal Swaminarayan sect. He said, "Unfortunately, due to vested interests and petty mindsets, some people, forgetting the ambitious goals for the development of a bright futuristic India, are busy dividing the society based on caste, religion, creed, language, social status, gender, urban-rural and many other grounds. It is a conspiracy to separate India into pieces. It is important to understand the attempts and gravity of these detractors. We must understand the risk and get together to defeat such actions. We have to thwart this in unity." Recalling India's freedom struggle and the contributions of sages and religious institutions, PM Modi said, "It is my earnest request to the seers of Vadtal to unite each person in this journey of Viksit Bharat… For one entire century, from various corners of the country, there was a fight for independence… not a single day had passed when people had given up their goal, dream, and resolution of independence.” He also stressed that world leaders were "attracted" to India’s “brain mine”, expecting that "the skilled manpower and IT sector of India will go to their country to work." Urging the Swaminarayan sages to "ensure de-addiction and inspire youth to stay away from intoxication", Modi said that the Swaminarayan temples located across the globe must campaign to bring foreigners to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January next year. "The Kumbh Mela commences on January 13 and is a globally accepted event. The sect (Swaminarayan) has temples across the globe. You must educate Indians living abroad about the Kumbh Mela and its significance and equally educate foreigners who have no roots in India. Each branch of Swaminarayan, through its temples abroad, can bring at least 100 foreign nationals to the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj in January,” he said. Modi said that it was the NDA-led government that had decided to "take pride and restore the lost heritage" from the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya to Kashi (Varanasi), Kedar, Pavagadh, Surya Mandir, and Somnath, while also “ensuring” that several stolen ancient idols "are being brought back and restored with pride".
