President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday once again called for preserving the multiplicity and pluralistic character of the country and said India has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolera
President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday once again called for preserving the multiplicity and pluralistic character of the country and said India has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolerance. Over the last few months incidents of religious and casteist intolerance and violence gripped several states, prompting Mr Mukherjee to express concern and urge people to practice tolerance.
“Our country has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolerance. Our pluralistic character has stood the test of time. Our ancient civilisation has over the centuries accommodated our diversities. “Multiplicity is our collective strength which must be preserved at all costs. It finds reflection in the various provisions of our Constitution,” Mr Mukherjee said at the function in the presence of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, Chief Justice of Delhi high court G. Rohini and Delhi lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung. The President was speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the Delhi high court here.
After the horrific Dadri lynching incident and dalit children’s killing in Faridabad, the President had expressed concern, asking whether tolerance and acceptance of dissent are on the wane in the country . The President was speaking at his hometown at Suri in West Bengal on October 19. This was followed by an appeal to people for practising tolerance and to accept differences while respecting dissent.
A day after the President’s message for peace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also endorsed the remarks and asked people to ignore rabble rousing by leaders and fringe elements.
Following the Dadri incident, a series of episodes of intolerance has taken place, like the one in Mumbai where BJP ally Shiv Sena forced the cancellation of a music concert by Pakistani legend Ghulam Ali and talks between Indian and Pakistani cricket board chiefs and blackened the face of Sudheendra Kulkarni. The killings of a truck conductor in Udhampur and a man in Himachal Pradesh on suspicion of cow smuggling for slaughter have also created national outrage and witnessed controversial statements being made by some BJP leaders.
