Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called India the “mother of democracy”, and added that his government’s goal is to free the country from the “mentality of slavery” in the coming 10 years.
He was speaking after hoisting the ‘Dharma Dwaja’ (saffron flag) on the ‘shikhar’ (top) of the Ram Temple here along with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat.
“… 190 years ago, in 1835, an Englishman named Macaulay laid the foundation of mental slavery in India. In the next 10 years, it will be 200 years and we have to remove this mentality,” Modi said at the event.
“Macaulay sowed the seeds of uprooting India from its roots and laid the foundation of mental slavery. The greatest misfortune is that Macaulay’s ideas had a widespread impact—India attained independence, but not freedom from inferiority complexes. He observed that a distortion took hold, where everything foreign was considered superior, while our own traditions and systems were seen only with fault,” he added.
Emphasising that the coming era of the 21st century is very important, the prime minister highlighted that in the 70 years after independence, India became the world’s 11th largest economy, but in the last 11 years alone India has risen to become the fifth largest economy. He stated that the day is not far when India will also become the world’s third largest economy.
“Ayodhya of the 21st century is emerging as the backbone of a developed India,” he said.
Modi further stressed that the ‘mentality of slavery’ kept reinforcing the notion that India borrowed democracy from abroad and that even the Constitution was foreign-inspired, whereas the truth is that India is the mother of democracy and democracy is in our DNA.
He pointed out that a village of Uthiramerur in northern Tamil Nadu, where a thousand-year-old inscription describes how governance was conducted democratically and how people elected their rulers even in that era.
The PM said that we should create a society where no one is poor and suffering. This flag will carry the ideals and inspiration of Shri Ram to all humanity for ages to come. He congratulated every donor who donated for the Ram Temple, along with the laborers, artisans, planners, and architects. He said that this is the city from where Shri Ram began his life.
He said that Ayodhya today has a magnificent railway station. Trains like Vande Bharat and Amrit Bharat are available. Since the consecration of Ram Lalla, 450 million devotees have come here for darshan. This has led to economic development of the people of Ayodhya and its surrounding areas.
He highlighted that in the past 11 years, women, Dalits, backward classes, tribals, the deprived, farmers, workers, and youth—every section of society—has been placed at the center of development. He emphasized that when every individual, section, and region of the nation is empowered, then everyone’s effort will contribute to the fulfillment of the resolve, and it is through these collective efforts that by 2047 a developed India will be built.
He further said that the collective power of society is needed to build a developed India. Seven temples have been built in Ayodhya. The temple of Nishad Raj is built here, which represents the worship of the end and one’s desires. There are also statues of Jatayu and the squirrel, representing every small effort needed to achieve a grand goal. Ram valued cooperation, not power. Today, we are moving forward with the same spirit. Today, the youth, the underprivileged, farmers, and women are all being taken care of.
The PM further stated that we must think about the present as well as future generations.
“We must work with a vision. Because, this country existed even when we were not there, and it will exist even when we are gone. To achieve this, we must look to Ram. Ram means putting the happiness of the people first. Ram means the pinnacle of wisdom. Ram means firmness in gentleness. Ram means choosing the best company. Ram means an unwavering resolve for truth. Ram is not just a person, he is a person of dignity and a direction. If we want to empower society, we must awaken the Ram within ourselves,” he added.
Meanwhile, the right-angled triangular Dharma Dhwaj, measuring 10 feet in height and 20 feet in length, bears the image of a radiant Sun symbolizing the brilliance and valour of Lord Ram, with an ‘Om’ inscribed on it along with an image of Kovidara tree. The sacred saffron flag will convey a message of dignity, unity, and cultural continuity, embodying the ideals of Ram Rajya.
The Ram temple complex features 87 intricately carved stone episodes from the life of Shri Ram based on the Valmiki Ramayana on the outer walls of the main temple, and 79 bronze-cast episodes from Indian culture placed along the enclosure walls.