Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to students on Monday to mark 125 years of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address has failed to impress Opposition parties.

Modi said the “9/11 of 1893” was about love, harmony and brotherhood. He urged students to focus on the “Swacch Bharat” campaign. “Student organisations, while campaigning for university elections should give more importance to cleanliness,” Modi said.

Taking a dig at the Prime Minister, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said that while Vivekananda quoted eloquently from the Bhagvad Gita, condemning “sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism” over 124 years ago, the “universal message is time-invariant; it is as relevant today”.

Later, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the Modi government’s actions were diametrically opposite to the views of Vivekananda.

“Swami Vivekananda personified the eternal energy of youth – Indian youth – and their restless incessant quest for truth. But you don’t insult him like this, when, surreptitiously, you disobey the path shown by him...when you encourage a culture of hate, bigotry, narrow mindedness, parochialism, politics of prejudice and division, do you really in any sense of the word follow Swami Vivekananda in precept practice, sprit or action?” Singhvi asked.

Earlier, the Prime Minister said Vivekananda had raised his voice against social evils that have entered our society. “Swami Vivekananda did not believe in sermonising. His ideas and idealism paved way for an institutional framework through the Ramakrishna Mission,” he added.

“The correspondence between Swami Vivekananda and Jamsetji Tata will show the concern Swamiji had towards India’s self-reliance,” Modi said, and added that both knowledge and skills were equally important.

The BSP, too, was critical of Modi’s speech. “The PM is just sermonising the youth of this country. He is unable to provide them educations, jobs or health,” BSP supremo Mayawati said. She added that Modi’s statements on Swacch Bharat do not have an impact even on BJP-RSS workers.