Ahmedabad, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah on Thursday linked Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of India’s “reconstruction” with the Narendra Modi government’s goal of taking the country to the forefront of the world by 2047, telling young graduates that they would be the generation to witness the centenary of India’s Independence.
Addressing the 72nd convocation of Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad, Shah said Gandhi had consciously spoken of “reconstruction” rather than “new construction” of India.
He said the distinction reflected the need to modernise the country without abandoning its foundational principles and values.
“The principles will remain the same as they have been for thousands of years. We will become modern and undertake reconstruction,” Shah said.
He said India did not need to adopt an identity based on ideas imported from elsewhere, but should modernise while preserving its core principles.
Shah said Gandhi’s vision centred on Gram Swaraj, village prosperity and cooperation, and claimed that the Narendra Modi government was also working in these areas.
He described the period from 2014 to 2026 as one of “reconstruction”, guided by national strength, prosperity, security, self-reliance and morality in leadership.
Connecting this approach with the government’s India@2047 vision, Shah told graduating students that they would be among those witnessing 100 years of India’s Independence.
“You are the fortunate people who will witness the centenary of the country’s independence,” he said, urging them to work towards making India number one in the world in every field by 2047.
Shah, however, said India’s aspiration for global leadership should not be driven solely by national self-interest.
“We will be number one, but we will not think only of ourselves; we will think of the welfare of the entire universe. India would be powerful but should use its strength with wisdom, while its prosperity should benefit the country, its citizens and people suffering around the world,” he said.
The Union Minister also connected the future vision with Gandhi’s philosophy of education. He said the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 was based on five pillars — mother tongue, skills, multidisciplinary education, the Indian knowledge tradition and holistic personality development.
Shah said these principles were closely aligned with the educational approach developed at Gujarat Vidyapith.
He said Gandhi had sought to translate his ideas into practice through experiments, citing the Non-Cooperation Movement, Dandi March, Quit India Movement and his advocacy of non-violence.
Gujarat Vidyapith was established by Gandhi on October 18, 1920, as part of the broader effort to develop an Indian system of education and strengthen the foundations of Swaraj.
Shah recalled that Gandhi served as the institution’s founding Chancellor and said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Rajendra Prasad, Morarji Desai and other prominent personalities subsequently held the position because of their understanding of the need to preserve and advance the institution.
He also praised the continuation of what he described as the “Acharya tradition” under current Chancellor Acharya Devvrat, saying Gujarat Vidyapith had continued efforts to follow the path shown by Gandhi.
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