New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked Indians on Tuesday to name the enemy and then take him on. "We must identify the enemies of Mother India. We must defeat them," he said, addressing the Vijayadashami celebrations at Ramlila Maidan.
The enemy, as he described it, was not a party but a mindset. "The forces that hurt the honour and dignity of the country, the people who divide society, the mentality of those who hate our culture — these are the enemies of the country," Modi said. He called for all political parties and national institutions to stand together in the national interest, quoting a Vedic verse: "Samano mantrah samitih samani, samanam manah saha chittame-sham."
He framed the festival as a lesson in resolve. "Vijayadashami is the festival of victory. This festival gives us the courage to believe that no matter how powerful the enemy may be, when we stand with truth and humanity, victory belongs to us," he said.
Drawing on Lord Ram, Modi pressed self-reliance. The ocean stood before Ram, Lanka lay far away, but "the resolve was unwavering". Ram "awakened the collective strength of the people, united the available resources, and he made a goal that seemed impossible". The same mantra, he said, applies to a Developed India.
He defined Ram Rajya as welfare, not rule. "The objective of power is not to rule, but public welfare," he said, describing a system without discrimination where everyone gets justice and equal opportunity. He cited Ram embracing Nishad Raj and honouring Shabari as examples of inclusion.
Modi said a nation progresses only when it has self-respect, and pointed to the return of more than 650 ancient idols in the past 12 years, UNESCO listings for Indian sites, and Diwali's inclusion last year on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. He also praised RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's Vijayadashami address in Nagpur, calling it "highly inspirational".
The Prime Minister's remarks came as protests against the Election Commission and the special intensive revision of electoral rolls continued in Delhi and other cities.