LUCKNOW: Likening the campus of Aligarh Muslim University to a 'mini India', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that this power of diversity should never be forgotten or weakened.
“We should work together to ensure that the spirit of 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat' grows stronger day by day on the campus of Aligarh Muslim University,” the PM said while addressing virtually the centenary celebration of the university.
“At this prestigious university, if a student can imbibe her or his education in Urdu, so can they in Hindi. On one side, one can get knowledge about Arabic, on the other, in Sanskrit as well. One on side, you can learn the teachings of the Holy Quran, while on the other, AMU teaches the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures too. This is what India is all about, and this institution functions every day on that principle,” he added.
Praising the work done by the university during COVID-19 crisis, the PM said, “Not just in academics, but your contributions in other ways have also been extremely valuable to the nation. Recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the manner in which you set up facilities for check-ups, created isolation wards and plasma bank, the manner in which you all helped those who needed it, as well as contributing significantly to the PM CARES fund, all show your sincere intent towards nation building."
“Women's empowerment is fundamental towards taking any nation forward. A good education leads to financial empowerment, and financial empowerment leads to a woman making independent decisions. And that is key towards then taking both their families and the nation forward,” the PM said.
Pitching for a self-reliant India, the PM said,"I would love to hear from you all at Aligarh Muslim University on how to make India self-reliant and how to work on successfully taking 'local to global'. Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome and greatly valued. I want you all to think about how we can build an Atmanirbhar Bharat."
Notably, a section of AMU students had decided to give a charter of demands to PM Narendra Modi through V-C Prog Tariq Mansoor during the PM's virtual address to students on the occasion of the varsity's centenary celebrations on Tuesday.
The charter of demands of students included reinstatement of Art 370 in J&K, revocation of CAA/NCR and three farm laws besides the withdrawal of cases registered against AMU students during the anti-CAA stir last year. The students had also put forward a demand for funds for AMU to meet its expenses. The students had also demanded that the PM set up a central university for SC/STs.