Religion cannot be made cause of conflict: Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: Equality of all faiths before the law is a foundational feature of India’s constitutional democracy, President Pranab Mukherjee, has said in his address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, a formulation that is bound to be seen as veiled criticism of the activities of various arms of the Sangh Parivar, whose leaders have in the recent past referred to India as a 'Hindu Rashtra'.

The co-existence of various faiths was a matter of pride for India and a source of the country's "soft power" the President said. "The most powerful example of India’s soft power, in an international environment where so many countries are sinking into the morass of theocratic violence, lies in our definition of the relationship between faith and polity. We have always reposed our trust in faith-equality where every faith is equal before the law and every culture blends into another to create a positive dynamic. Religion, said Gandhiji, is a force for unity; we cannot make it a cause of conflict," President Mukherjee said. The President bemoaned the fact political discourse had becoming a "competition in hysteria that is abhorrent to our traditional ethos".

"The freedom inherent in democracy sometimes generates an unhappy by-product when political discourse becomes a competition in hysteria that is abhorrent to our traditional ethos. The violence of the tongue cuts and wounds people’s hearts," he said. Reiterating his concern about the non-functioning of Parliament, the President deplored that laws were being passed without deliberation in Parliament, seemingly referring to the spate of ordinances issued by the Modi government. The administration has justified the ordinances on the ground that the opposition’s obstructionist tactics, notably not allowing the Rajya Shaba to function, left it with no choice.