That turned dark quickly. Instead
of being a beacon for hope
and a shining light for the people
of India, the Prime Minister
has instead become a beacon for
dishonesty and an object
of contempt.
His party's campaign is rooted
in falsehood.
Fake news. Rumors.
Lies.
And all of it designed to sow
the seeds of hatred and division.
That is what he does.
That is what he offers.
And in doing so he sows the seeds
of his own downfall.
And so I say tonight,
India's destiny lies in her own
hands.
The choice is hers.
So my message to the people of
India is this: The future
lies in how we respond to this
moment of trial.
We must have the courage and
selflessness
to put our unity ahead of our
differences, to have the unity
of purpose
to rise above our deepest
divisions.
And we must have the strength
of conviction to see our people
through this.
Because this is the choice before
us.
We must decide whether we are
bound by hatred or whether we
will rise above our differences.
Decide, for we have an election
coming up and this moment will
give way to the future.
And so much rides on that choice.
There is much at stake in our
future,
not just for the people of
India,
but for all of us around the
world.
Whether we like it or not, this
time, India matters.
No matter where we come from,
what we look like,
what religion we adhere to or
whether we were born here or
whether we come from across
the seas, we are all members of
this great Indian family.
We are all one.
And whether we are Hindu or
Muslim, Sikh or Christian,
we must now stand together
against the forces that threaten
to divide us.
The divisions and distinctions
we make in the name of religion
or sect,
nation or class distract us
from what is common in each one
of us.
We tear at the social fabric that
unites us
in our shared humanity.
We see this when mosques are
ruthlessly attacked,
when temples are desecrated, when
Muslims and Dalits are assaulted
and killed for loving their God,
for following the same
religion.
And when any one of us tries to
bring our brothers and sisters
together.
India is diverse.
And these distinctions are bred
into our very fiber,
by the same impulse that makes us
who we are,
what makes us strong.
They are the lifeblood of our
civilizations.
Yet, the Prime Minister seems to
live in a kind
of alternate reality where there
is a Hindu India,
where Hindus have the country
and everyone else is
on the outside.
Here's what he said in June.
I consider myself as a very
Hindu nationalist.
I believe in Hindu religion,
culture,
tradition, Hindusim, nationalism.
Religion, to me, spiritualism,
it is most important.
Hindutva, nationalism
is very important.
Some Indian politicians,
even those who call themselves
Hindus,
would even deny that India was
born of Hindu culture.
This is a Hindu government.
They are using my language.
They are speaking my language.
Not those who are not Hindus,
that it is not their language.
Those who speak in different
language.
Not in my language.
Because they are those
who have taken away my country.
The Prime Minister has even
suggested that Muslims in India
would have no right to
self-determination.
This cannot be our future.
India is no stranger to crisis.
But our strength lies in
our unity.
Our success depends on the
success of each one of us,
on the success of our families,
the success of our communities,
the success of our societies.
It is time to come together,
forge new alliances,
forge new friendships, and above
all else,
let us forge a new purpose,
for the world needs India.
And India needs us.
When we look together, we see
what we share, the best of us.
What we hold in common,
the most sacred values and a
commitment to universal truths
and universal love.
It was the best of us, our vision
of India,
that was on display in the days
after independence,
a celebration of diversity.
A recognition that the best of
India is not found
in any single nation or religion,
but in the belief in each
of us.
On that foundation, we
build a nation that is prosperous
and inclusive.
But instead, the Prime Minister
has been consumed with his
own
vision, one that seeks to destroy
not just India but India's soul.
Those who follow him have no
vision for our future.
They have only hatred in their
hearts.
They have only fear in their
minds.
And so our nation calls out to
all the friends of India,
who have faith in India's future.
For we can only be strong if we
are united.
We can only be a nation that
loves if we respect and honor
each other.
The forces that seek to destroy
India
have found a voice in this
country, a voice that seeks to
undermine India's tradition of
inclusiveness.
A voice that seeks to divide the
nation,
and the people of India,
ethnic, religious, political,
and economic groups are pitted
against each other.
We cannot allow these dark forces
to win.
The future of the nation is now
being weighed in these moments
of trial.
It is a choice that is in the
hands of each one of us.
Not just the Prime Minister,
but all of us,
each one of us.
Each of us must decide where
we stand and who we will stand
with.
We must choose who we will stand
for.
For the forces of fear,
hatred, and division will only
grow stronger if we do not rise
up against them.
We must protect our democracy,
one of the great strengths of
our nation.
We cannot allow this moment to
pass.
We cannot let down our guard.
The foundations of this nation
are strong.
We stand with the ordinary men
and women of this land.
We will protect our future.
And for us, for the people of
India,
freedom, justice, and equality
will prevail.
And for me, and for every Indian,
it is not just a matter of
principle.
Each one of us has a part in
shaping
this future.
We can all shape the future of
our country.
We can each do the right thing.
Now is the time to stand together
for justice and democracy.
Each of us is now an instrument
of change.
We must rise above our fears.
We must prove to the world that
we are a nation made strong by
love, not by hatred.
And together, we must stand up
and defend this nation,
for we have been entrusted with
the responsibility of leading the
world into a better future.
May we be blessed with wisdom
and may the light of
goodness and truth guide us.
This is our moment.
This is our opportunity.
We must make our choice.
Jai Hind.
Jai Hind.
Subtitles by the Amara.org
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