Taking a dig at the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said politics cannot be left to those who consider it as their “family property”.

Underscoring that today the country has time as well as the opportunity, Modi stressed the need to prepare the youth for leadership in every field of nation building. He added that there was a need for the country’s youth to lead the country in politics just like technology and other fields.

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“We need to prepare youth for leadership in every field of nation-building. Today, just like technology and other fields, our youth should lead the country in politics as well. Now we cannot leave politics to those who consider politics as their family’s property, therefore, we are going to make a new beginning in 2025,” the PM said while addressing the event at Ramakrishna Math in Gujarat via video conferencing.

The Prime Minister announced that on 12 January 2025, on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, celebrated as Youth Day, the Government will be organising the Young Leaders Dialogue in Delhi. He added that two thousand selected youth from the country would be invited while crores of youth will join from across India.

Modi added that the resolution of a developed India from the perspective of the youth would be discussed and a roadmap to connect the youth with politics would be prepared. The Prime Minister highlighted the Government’s resolution to bring 1 lakh talented and energetic youth into politics in the coming times. He added that these youth would become the new face of 21st century Indian politics and the future of the country.

Highlighting that Swami Vivekananda was a great supporter of modern science, the Prime Minister said Swami Vivekanada believed that the importance of science was not limited to the description of things or events, but the importance of science was in inspiring and taking us forward.

Emphasising India’s growing dominance in the field of modern technology today, Modi remarked that India’s identity was being recognized by many achievements like world’s third largest startup ecosystem, steps towards becoming the world’s third largest economy, modern construction in the field of infrastructure and providing solutions to global challenges being given by India.

He added that today’s India was moving forward based on its knowledge, tradition and centuries-old teachings. “Swami Vivekananda believed that youth power is the backbone of the nation”, Modi said.

Reciting a quote by Swami Vivekananda about the power of the youth, the Prime Minister said, “Now was the time and we must take up that responsibility.” He added that India had started a new journey of Amrit Kaal today and had taken an infallible resolution of developed India.

Stressing that we need to achieve the goal within a stipulated time frame, Modi highlighted “India is the youngest nation in the world”. He added that today the youth of India had proved its capability and capacity in the world and it was the youth power of India that was leading the world’s biggest companies and had taken charge of India’s development.

Stressing on Spirituality and sustainable development, the two important ideas to be remembered to make the earth better, the Prime Minister remarked that by harmonizing these two ideas, we could build a better future.

He added that Swami Vivekananda used to emphasize on the practical side of spirituality and wanted such spirituality which could fulfill the needs of the society. He further added that along with purity of thoughts, Swami Vivekananda also used to emphasize on keeping the surroundings clean.

Modi emphasised that the goal of sustainable development can be achieved by maintaining a balance between economic development, social welfare and environmental protection. He stressed that Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts would guide us in reaching this goal. Acknowledging that balance is important in both spirituality and sustainability, Modi said that one creates balance within the mind, while the other teaches us to maintain balance with nature.

He expressed belief that institutions like Ramakrishna Mission can play an important role in accelerating our campaigns like Mission Life, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam which can be further expanded with their support.