Prez derides intolerance

These days, a wave has spread in the country of alleged intolerance among sections of our people. Some sporadic and unfortunate incidents of violence are generalized to paint the nation as intolerant. However, the accusers are not very clear what charges they are bringing against whom. We cannot say that violence has surfaced only now or that it was not there in the past. That is human nature, the eternal fight between good and bad, the vice and virtue. Imagine the great holocaust before and after the partition of India in 1947. Therefore, to attribute violence and intolerance to a particular period or regime is unjustifiable. Why this phenomenon received extraordinary hype in media is not understandable. This wave juxtaposed with other unexpected happenings in recent weeks and months in the country leading to commotion in the society could be the result of a deep-rooted conspiracy in which actors within and outside the country could be involved. Therefore, the nation has to be very careful and cautious about the nefarious designs of the enemy. There can never be a second thought about the truth that India is a country where people adhering to all the big seven religions of the world live together in peace and harmony. Violence is not the ethos of Indian society and Indian nation. We are speaking of the vast and powerful majority of nationalist Indians. The President has placed the finger on the right point that tolerance is the corner stone on which democratic dispensation rests. Tolerance means tolerating views and opinions of others and in particular, respecting sensitivities and feelings of others. We have a five thousand year old civilization and it has survived the vagaries of human nature and vicissitudes of time because of tolerance so much so that at times we feel that our tolerance has been bordering on servitude. This country can become great and strong not through military power or even economic power but through the unity and cohesion among all denominations to which they belong. The best way to defeat divisive forces is to forge unity and cohesion among all people of this great country. That is the precious message given by the President to the nation.