‘India’s culture goes beyond tolerance to acceptance’

India is a very tolerant country. Some people have coined the term growing intolerance. They are very few. Not every Indian thinks like that. We don’t believe in pseudo-secularism, selective outrage, selective patriotism. ANUPAM KHER, Bollywood actor

NEW DELHI: Talking to a delegation of artists and writers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday again pitched for tolerance as he pointed out that the country’s culture goes beyond tolerance and speaks about acceptance.

“The Prime Minister stated that Indian culture goes beyond tolerance, and talks of acceptance,” a PMO statement said after the meeting.

Led by actor Anupam Kher, who had opposed filmmakers and artists returning their national awards, the 51-member delegation also met President Pranab Mukherjee. They marched to Rashtrapati Bhavan from India Gate to project India as a tolerant nation.

Kher’s wife, Kirron, is a BJP MP from Chandigarh.

Kher later claimed that the President told them that awards were bestowed upon artists and intelligentsia by the people of the nation and not the government. “We had a great meeting with honourable President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee. He said ‘Awards are given by nation not by governments.”

Distancing themselves from the other artists who are protesting against “growing intolerance”, the delegation told the PM that a section of people are acting with a “political agenda”.

“They expressed concern over what they described as a protest with a political agenda by a section of people to tarnish the image of the country, and derail the development initiatives of the PM,” said a government release.

Some media persons were heckled by participants during the march but Kher later apologized for it.