New Delhi: Against the backdrop of attacks on Dalits and minorities, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said these incidents should be dealt with “firmly”, calling the violence against “weaker sections” that militate against the national ethos as “aberrations”.
Coming down heavily on forces of intolerance, Mukherjee cautioned against “unmindful pursuit” of a divisive political agenda and polarising debates by groups and individuals, saying they lead to institutional “travesty” and constitutional “subversion”.
The President also made it clear that democracy was not just about exercising choice to elect government periodically.
In his address to the nation on the eve of India’s 70th Independence Day–his fifth since assuming office, the President asked authorities and Institutions of State Power to adhere to the “Maryada”(dignity) in discharge of their duties as established in this ancient Indian ethos. “In these four years, I also saw with, some disquiet, forces of divisiveness and intolerance trying to raise their ugly head. Attacks on weaker sections that militate against our national ethos are aberrations that need to be dealt with firmly,” he said. The President said the collective wisdom of our society and our polity gave him the confidence that such forces will remain marginalised and India’s remarkable growth story will continue uninterrupted.