Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign for cleanliness is not just a fight against filth but a decisive battle against untouchability too, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday.
He said the country has done a lot to eradicate untouchability but a lot has to be done, "which we can do".
"Mahatma Gandhi had started the campaign against untouchability. Our prime minister too has started the campaign for cleanliness. This is not just a fight against filth but a decisive battle against untouchability too," he said addressing a meeting on 'Untouchability No More'.
Quoting former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the home minister said narrow minded people cannot attain greatness and only those who have greatness can attain salvation.
"We have to accept everyone who is friend and acquaintance as family not just those who are in blood relations...Those who can go against the stream can become brave," he said at the meeting organisation by Sulabh International.
Earlier, the home minister had lunch along with women belonging to the Scheduled Castes who treated him with sweets. Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal and Sulabh International founder Bindeswar Pathak were present on the occasion.
"I had lunch with some women. I have become very emotional the way I was treated and garlanded by the women. This was a historical moment for me. There should be no discrimination among people. 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (world is one family) is the key message from India to the world," he said.
Image: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh with Sulabh volunteers during the occasion of National function on ‘Untouchability No More’. Photograph: PTI Photos
