NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee today advocated freeing public discourse from violence — “physical as well as verbal” — and asserted that the country derived its strength from tolerance.
Stressing the need for “pluralism and tolerance” in his last televised address to the nation as the president, he said the capacity for compassion and empathy was the “true foundation” of the country’s civilisation.
“But everyday, we see increased violence around us. At the heart of this violence is darkness, fear and mistrust. We must free our public discourse from all forms of violence, physical as well as verbal,” Mukherjee, who will demit office tomorrow, said in his address.
He made it clear that only a non-violent society could ensure the participation of all sections of the people, especially the maginalised and the dispossessed, in the democratic process.
“The power of non-violence has to be resurrected to build a compassionate and caring society,” Mukherjee, 81, said. (AGENCIES)
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