NATION RUNS FOR UNITY
Monday, 16 December 2013 | Nayan Dave / PNS | Vadodara / New Delhi
Top BJP leaders ran for ‘unity’ in the nooks and corners of the country in what is seen as its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s masterstroke to reach out to the younger generation with the concept of “soft” nationalism.
The event coincided with the 63rd death anniversary of the first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, whose mega-statue is being erected by the Modi Government in Gujarat much to the displeasure of Congress leaders. “This run is being organised with a determination to unite the people, unite the villages and unite the nation,” Modi said in Vadodara, adding, “This is an effort to fulfill the dreams and aspirations of all Indians”. Modi took digs at his detractors saying the ‘Mini marathon’ was a drive towards patriotism and that it should not be seen as a political agenda.
“We should not see the diversity of the nation as our weakness, but as a strong unique identity that has the tremendous strength of more than 120 crore people. This is not a mere run, but a mass movement to spread the message of unity and integrity which would put India into the elite category. One of the most powerful nations in the world,” Modi said addressing an impressive crowd at Navlakhi Ground in Vadodara.
His speech was also telecast across the nation at nearly 11,00 locations, where similar ‘Mini Marathon’ — ‘Run for Unity’ was held simultaneously. Of nearly five million participants across the country, majority were youngsters. He struck the chord by entering in sports wear (black tracksuit) early in the morning and said that it is the responsibility of the youth and future generations to strengthen unique Indian identity — ‘Unity in Diversity’. Over 100 kilometres away in Ahmedabad, BJP veteran LK Advani taunted Congress for ignoring the ‘Iron man’ who contributed immensely to unite the nation post independence.
“Forget remembering Patel on his death anniversaries, Congress has hardly celebrated his birth anniversaries. His tremendous contribution to unite the country by merging 565 erstwhile princely States is unforgettable,” Advani said flagging off the run. Lauding Narendra Modi for building the tallest statue of Sardar Patel, Advani said that he is taking Sardar task ahead to unite the country. Nearly 1.5 lakh people were gathered at the River Front to participate in the run.
BJP president Rajnath Singh and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley flagged off the marathon from the party headquarters in New Delhi. “This is perhaps among the biggest of similar events organised anywhere in the world. I compliment Narendra Modi for having conceived this idea,” Singh said before flagging off the run.
In Mumbai, former BJP chief M Venkaiah Naidu said, “The unity run envisaged by Narendra Modi is aimed at bringing unity among the people irrespective of caste, creed, sex, region and religion. We all are Indians and our motto should be ‘nation first, party next and self last’.” He was joined by senior leaders Gopinath Munde and others at the run in Mumbai.
Party MP and spokesperson Prakash Javadekar took part in the marathon in Hyderabad while actor-turned-MP Smriti Irani led the race in West Bengal. Party vice-president SS Ahluwalia led the run in Guwahati. General secrearty Murlidhar Rao participated in the programme in Lucknow while deputy leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha Ravishankar Prasad was in Patna for the event.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/nation-runs-for-unity.html
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