[Vivekananda, she (Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President) said, had spoken of the need for both tolerance and universal acceptance in his 1893 address: “Today, more than ever, we are engulfed with the same challenges of prejudices which Swamiji spoke about…In today’s atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swamiji's message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward.” Saying she hoped that his inspiring thoughts would continue to guide everybody, especially the country’s youth, Ms. Gandhi stressed: “His clarion call — ‘Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached!’ – was at once a call to spiritual as well as political liberation.” ***In his address in Chicago in 1893, where he had gone as a representative of Hinduism and India, he had said: “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair.”*** (Emphasis added.0 This, she said, was as relevant today as it was over 124 years ago.
(See the report at sl. no. II below.)] I/II. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/congress-targets-modi-dont-preach-practise-vivekanandas-message-4839264/ Congress targets Modi: ‘Don’t preach, practise Vivekananda’s message’ The Congress hit out at the Prime Minister ,urging him to practise what he preaches. By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Published:September 12, 2017 2:18 am Rishang Keishing, Rishang Keishing dead, Manipur leader Rishang Keishing passes away, Sonia Gandhi, Congress, indian express Vivekananda, Sonia said, had said, “Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilisation, and sent whole nations to despair.” RELATED NEWS Full text: Rahul Gandhi speech at UC BerkeleyFull text: Rahul Gandhi speech at UC Berkeley 2002 Naroda Gam riot case: Special court summons Amit Shah to depose as witness for Maya Kodnani Watch: Rahul Gandhi’s full speech at UC BerkeleyWatch: Rahul Gandhi’s full speech at UC Berkeley As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a students’ convention to mark 125 years of Swami Vivekananda’s address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, the Congress on Monday accused him of insulting Vivekananda’s memory by disowning the path shown by him. Party president Sonia Gandhi said that in today’s atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Vivekananda’s message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward. Sonia quoted Vivekananda to make a subtle political attack. She said that Vivekananda had attended the World Parliament of Religions as a representative of Hinduism and India, where he had quoted from the Bhagavad Gita. Vivekananda, Sonia said, had said, “‘Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilisation, and sent whole nations to despair.’” “This universal message is time-invariant; it is as relevant today as it was over 124 years ago. Today, more than ever, we are engulfed with the same challenges of prejudices which Swami spoke about,” she said and recalled that he had spoken about both tolerance and universal acceptance. She said, “While promoting the idea of the oneness of all religions, Swami promoted with equal zeal the idea of the equality of all human beings. In today’s atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swami (Vivekananda’s) message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward.” The Congress hit out at the Prime Minister, urging him to practise what he preaches. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said at the AICC briefing, “We expect the Prime Minister to not only preach. We expect him to practise in letter and spirit the messages, the theme, the true ‘atman’ of what Swami Vivekananda said. Unfortunately, in this government we are seeing preaching attaining new heights of glory, and the practice is completely the opposite.” Singhvi asked of the Prime Minister, “Aren’t you insulting his memory…. Do you even really follow him in letter….when you encourage a culture of hate, bigotry, narrow mindedness, parochialism, politics of prejudice and division? Do you really in any sense of the word follow Swami Vivekananda in practice, spirit or action? This government’s views and actions are the diametrically opposite of what Swami Vivekananda preached.” II. http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/teachings-of-vivekananda-still-relevant-sonia-gandhi/article19663915.ece Teachings of Vivekananda still relevant: Sonia Gandhi SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI , SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 21:55 IST UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 21:55 IST Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Monday that Swami Vivekananda’s slogan of oneness in his historic Chicago speech was as relevant today as it was in 1893: it should be the charter for the way forward in what she described as today’s “atmosphere of intolerance and hate.” Ms. Gandhi’s statement came even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi exhorted the youth to create a “New India” on the occasion of the 125th year of Swami Vivekananda’s address at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago and BJP ideologue Deendayal Upadhyaya’s centenary celebrations. “While promoting the idea of the oneness of all religions, Swamiji promoted with equal zeal the idea of the equality of all human beings,” she said. Vivekananda, she said, had spoken of the need for both tolerance and universal acceptance in his 1893 address: “Today, more than ever, we are engulfed with the same challenges of prejudices which Swamiji spoke about…In today’s atmosphere of intolerance and hate, Swamiji's message should be the Magna Carta for the way forward.” Saying she hoped that his inspiring thoughts would continue to guide everybody, especially the country’s youth, Ms. Gandhi stressed: “His clarion call — ‘Arise! Awake! And stop not till the goal is reached!’ – was at once a call to spiritual as well as political liberation.” In his address in Chicago in 1893, where he had gone as a representative of Hinduism and India, he had said: “Sectarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization, and sent whole nations to despair.” This, she said, was as relevant today as it was over 124 years ago. Later in the day, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that what Prime Minister Modi’s government was doing was diametrically opposite to what Vivekananda had preached, and that the India that was being created had nothing to do with his dreams. Vivekananda, he said, had spoken of establishing peace, brotherhood, oneness, and equality for women, but the Modi government had instead created an environment in which hatred and fundamentalism was flourishing. “We expect the Prime Minister to not just preach but also practise in letter and spirit what Swami Vivekananda said,” he said, stressing, “Unfortunately, the views and actions of the BJP government at the Centre are diametrically opposite to what Swami Vivekananda said and preached.” In the last three years of the NDA government, the country has “witnessed a strangulation of the diversity of views in India”, he stressed. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. 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