Calling himself an admirer and follower of Mahatma Gandhi, the senior BJP leader said the Father of the Nation described religious conversion as a sin and inspired every individual to live according to their own faith.

The minister, liberally quoting the independence movement hero, emphasised he advocated for 'reconstruction' (punar-nirman), and not 'navnirmaan' (new construction), and added India embarked on the path of reconstruction after 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership.

Shah was speaking at the 72nd convocation ceremony at the Gujarat Vidyapith in Ahmedabad. The Gujarat Vidyapith was established by Mahatma Gandhi on October 18, 1920.

"Gandhiji said politics without principles is a sin. Politics should be based on principles and objectives. Those who engage in politics for themselves, who conduct politics for their own interests, are, in a way, committing a sin," Shah told the gathering.

He listed other social sins mentioned by Mahatma Gandhi, including doing business without morality, earning wealth without labour, knowledge and consumption devoid of discernment, gaining knowledge without character, science without humanity and worship without sacrifice.

"I want to tell all the young people that we must always remember these seven sins. If you read Gandhi, you will never find the word 'navnirman'. This country was very large and was broken apart during the period of slavery so Gandhiji always used the term 'punar-nirman'," Shah noted.

Explaining the difference between the two terms, he further said, "Principles will remain the same as they have been for thousands of years; we will become modern and undertake reconstruction. New construction means building something new using methods brought from elsewhere."

There was no need to create something entirely new, he said, adding "we need to be modern while preserving our fundamental elements."

"Gandhiji placed great emphasis on all these things. Today, from 2014 to 2026, for 12 years, the country has embarked on the path of reconstruction - making India's strength, culture, prosperity, security, self-reliance and ethics in leadership as the foundation of its progress," Shah added.

The Home Minister said his mother made him take a vow to wear only khadi lifelong.

"My mother made me take a vow that I would wear only khadi throughout my life. For a major part of the early years of my life, I wove khadi and also spun yarn," Shah disclosed.

He also noted 11 principles propagated by Gandhiji -- truth, non-violence, non-stealing, celibacy, non-possession, physical labour, control of taste, fearlessness, equal respect for all religions, swadeshi, and removal of untouchability.

Shah pointed out many of the ills mentioned by him have already been eliminated under the Constitution.

"But these 11 principles remain relevant today; we should remember them and move forward. Gandhiji considered religious conversion a kind of sin and emphasised on living according to your own faith," he noted.

Shah said the Mahatma always emphasised on cleanliness, and today there was not a single household in the country without a toilet.

"Modiji has worked to connect the values of cleanliness with education of the new generation," said the Union minister.

Mahatma Gandhi also spoke about gram swaraj, village prosperity, and cooperation, he said.

"The government of PM Narendra Modi is now working afresh extensively on all three fronts -- gram swaraj, prosperous villages and cooperatives," said Shah, who is also the Minister of Cooperation.

At the convocation, around 900 students were conferred degrees and 11 gold medals were presented to pupils in the presence of Shah. Gujarat Vidyapith Chancellor and Governor Acharya Devvrat and other university office-bearers were also present on the occasion. (PTI)