On Quit India anniversary, Venkaiah Naidu calls for 'Knit India' for a stronger, united nation

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday called for an intensified campaign for “Knit India” to enable a strong and emotionally integrated nation.

To mark the 78th anniversary of the Quit India movement, Naidu wrote a Facebook post recounting the series of foreign invasions and the colonial exploitation during the long period of 1000-1947.

During the second millennium, the country paid a very heavy price in the form of cultural subjugation and economic exploitation that enfeebled the once rich India, he said.

The vice president stressed that hard fought independence in 1947 was not just about ending the colonial rule of the preceding 200 years but also bringing down curtains on the 1000 year-long "dark age" during which the country was plundered at will by invaders, traders and colonialists, who took advantage of the lack of unity among Indians.

“Lack of sense of belonging to each other and unity of purpose and action had led to long subjugation and exploitation of India. Learning from this, all Indians need to be bound by the shared sense of Indianness while pursuing their respective cultural values and ethos," Naidu said He said a perception of divided India would make India an easy target for others for fishing in troubled waters.

"A strong, unified and emotionally integrated India is the best defence against those casting an evil eye on us with questionable intentions,” the vice president said.

Naidu stressed on the need to Knit India into one single fabric by ensuring equality of all and equal opportunities for all and noted that a divided and iniquitous society does not enable the fullest development of all Indians to their capacity.

Elaborating on the adverse impacts of a stream of foreign invasions resulting in the loot of the country's wealth since the year 1000, Naidu referred to the destruction of the Somnath temple and the long period taken to rebuilt the same after independence and the gap of about 500 years taken to begin reconstruction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Referring to the celebration of 75 years of independence in 2022, the vice president urged the people to take a pledge to drive out poverty, illiteracy, inequality, gender discrimination, corruption and all kinds of social evils.