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New Delhi, Nov 18 (IANS) Following the PM’s recent address, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for outlining India’s economic direction and urging the country to be proud of its heritage.
PM Modi, during his speech at the sixth Ramnath Goenka Lecture on Monday, had said, “After winning the Bihar elections, some Modi-lovers in the media have started saying that Modi and the BJP live in election mode 24×7… They don’t know that we have to live not in election mode, but in emotional mode.”
He also spoke at length about the influence of British historian Thomas Babington Macaulay on India’s education system through his ‘Minute on Indian Education’ of 1835, which promoted English as the primary medium of instruction.
The Prime Minister questioned why India should weaken its languages, saying, “Which country criticizes its own languages? Japan, China, Korea adopted many global ideas but never compromised on language. That is why our National Education Policy emphasizes on learning in local languages. We do not oppose English – we support Indian languages. Macaulay’s crime in 1835 will complete 200 years from now in 2035, ten years from now. So today, through this platform, I urge the country to: Let the next 10 years be our resolve to free ourselves from this colonial mentality.”
Responding to the Prime Minister’s comments, Tharoor addressed
Tharoor also highlighted PM Modi’s comments on the attitude of governance, writing, “PM Modi said he has been accused of being in ‘election mode’ all the time, but he was actually in ’emotional mode’ to address people’s problems.”
Tharoor praised the Prime Minister’s focus on reversing Macaulay’s “200-year legacy of slave mentality”, adding, “A significant portion of the speech was devoted to reversing Macaulay’s legacy.” PM Modi appealed for a 10-year national mission to restore pride in India’s heritage, languages and knowledge systems. I wish he had also acknowledged how Ramnath Goenka used English to raise his voice for Indian nationalism!”
He concluded by describing the Prime Minister’s address as “an economic vision and a cultural call to action”, adding that he was “glad to be in the audience despite battling a bad cold and cough.”
–IANS
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