We celebrate pluralism, tolerance, democracy, Pranab reminds RSS
nagpur — Speaking at its headquarters, former president Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday did some plain-speaking on nationalism and patriotism to RSS cadre telling them that India’s multiple faiths and cultures made it tolerant and that the soul of the nation resided in its pluralism and secularism.
Calling for a dialogue to balance competing interests and reconcile them, he made it clear that hatred dilutes nationalism and intolerance will dilute national identity. “Divergent stands in public discourse have to be recognised.”
Sharing “some truths that I have internalised during my 50 year long public life” as a parliamentarian and administrator, he said the soul of India resided in “pluralism and tolerance”. “This plurality of our society has come through assimilation of ideas over centuries. Secularism and inclusion are a matter of faith for us. It is our composite culture which makes us into one nation,” he said addressing the third year annual training camp at the RSS headquarters here.
Invoking the vision of Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel, Mukherhjee said India’s
Pranab Mukherjee has shown the mirror of truth to the RSS at RSS headquarters in Nagpur by reminding them of India’s pluralism, tolerance, secularism and inclusiveness as an article of faith and soul of the country. Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress spokesperson nationhood was not one language, one religion or one enemy.
“It’s the perennial one universalism of 1.3 billion people who use more than 122 languages, 1,600 dialects in their every day lives, practice seven major religions, belong to three major ethnic groups... live under one system, one flag and one identity of being ‘Bharatiya’ and have no enemies. That is what makes India a diverse and united nation,” he said, speaking in English and peppering his speech with some words and phrases from his mother tongue Bengali.