President's address on eve of I-Day: 'Intolerance betrays democracy'

The President said "a country of our size, heterogeneity and complexity calls for culture-specific governance models"

In his address to the nation on the eve of Independence Day, President Pranab Mukherjee slammed those believing in the “poison drip of inflammatory provocation”. He reminded countrymen “intolerance and violence is a betrayal of the spirit of democracy” and no economic progress was possible without peace.

His remarks come amid increasing incidents of communal violence in the country.

Drawing upon history, Mukherjee said when Mughal ruler Aurangzeb had imposed the Jizya (a tan on non-Muslims), Shivaji had written to him, reminding him his predecessors Shah Jahan, Jehangir and Akbar, too, could have levied the tax “but they did not give place to bigotry in their hearts”. This, Mukherjee said, should serve as reminder for those who believed in divisive agendas. This was important, as a “turbulent international environment has sparked rising dangers in our region and beyond”, he said.

The president also outlined the government’s aim: “The stage is now set for our economy to move on a high growth trajectory of seven-eight per cent.” He recalled how, in the past two years, growth had fallen to sub-five per cent.

But now, he said, he “sense (d) renewed vigour and optimism in the air. Signs of revival are visible…inflation has started moderating”. Food prices, however, remained a concern, he added.

“A country of our size, heterogeneity and complexity calls for culture-specific governance models,” he said.

Mukherjee pushed for a shift from “alleviation of poverty to elimination of poverty”, saying “elimination is a time-defined objective”. The fact that poverty had fallen from 60 per cent to 30 per cent wasn’t enough, he said.

He called upon the media for “ethical and responsible behaviour” and sought “deeper engagement of the youth with the institutions of democracy”.

“By the end of the 12th five-year Plan, we would have achieved a literacy rate of 80 per cent,” he said.

On the functioning of Parliament, he said, “Sometimes, I wonder if our democracy has become too noisy. Have we lost the heart of contemplation and calm thinking…Should not Parliament become the great hall of sombre thought and well-debated legislation? Should not our courts of law become temples of justice? This calls for collective action by all stakeholders.”

He urged countrymen to respond to the prime minister’s call to honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary by making India a “clean” country by 2019.