Thousands of Mahatmas can't bring 'swachhta', 1.25 bn Indians can: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that issues such as cleanliness and hygiene should not be politicised and asserted that even 1,000 Mahatma Gandhis could not achieve the goal of a ‘clean India’ without the participation of 1.25 billion Indians.

Addressing a gathering here to mark three years of the Swachh Bharat mission, he said he had been severely criticised when he had initiated the programme and stepped out with a broom to launch it.

Maintaining that it was essential for children to wash their hands before eating as unhygienic conditions had led to several children dying, the Prime Minister said when he flagged the issue people asked how they would get soap and water.

People went to the extent of saying that the Prime Minister was making these statements just for the purpose of making a speech, Modi said.

“...If you have to abuse Modi, there are a thousand (other) issues...but we should neither make fun nor politicise issues which are meant to bring about change in society,” he said. People, including fellow politicians, had slammed him for “spoiling” children’s October 2 holiday, Modi said.

“We cannot achieve the target (of a Clean India) even if 1,000 Mahatma Gandhis, one lakh Narendra Modis, chief ministers and all governments come together. We can achieve it (only) when all 1.25 billion countrymen come together,” Modi told the gathering.

Asserting that he was convinced that the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi could not be wrong, he said he had endured a lot of criticism.