Days after the communal clashes in Uttar Pradesh claimed more than 40 lives, home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Friday said every citizen of the country has the right to live with his or her individual faith.
“Every citizen of our country has a right to live with his or her individual faith, yet keep the identity of being Indian supreme and above all other considerations. Let us pledge to uphold this right,” he said, addressing a national communal harmony awards function in the capital. Mr Shinde said the occasion should be marked as a festival of love, peace and tolerance for all-inclusive development of the nation.
The home minister said India is a nation of diverse cultures, languages, and religions and in spite of this diversity, the invisible but all-pervasive thread of being Indian keeps everyone united.
“It is, therefore, our foremost duty to keep this torch of unity shining bright under all circumstances. The tradition of communal harmony, tolerance and mutual respect have always been the distinguishing features of our civilisation and polity,” he said. Pointing out that this tradition continues even today, Mr Shinde said democracy can prosper and flourish only with strict adherence to secularism.
“I personally feel that the noblest of all religions is the religion of humanity,” he said. The Union home ministry meanwhile has firmed up its agenda for the National Integration Council meet on Monday to be chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Four important sessions will be held by the 148-member NIC, including chief ministers of all states, where measures to prevent communal disturbances will be discussed.