No space for Vandalism in democracy: Jaitley

With President Pranab Mukherjee expressing his concern on rising incidents of intolerance in the country, the government has made it clear that incidents of intolerance cannot be tolerated.

Condemning the incidents of intolerance, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that it is against the traditions of our culture. He said publicising the acts of vandalism is also a matter of great concern.

Speaking to reporters, Jaitley said, "Incidents of intolerance are condemnable...In democracy there could be differences, but restraint should be exercised and vandalism should be criticised. No place for violence in democracy."

"Hope we can conduct debates in public space in a more graceful manner," he added.

President Pranab Mukherjee had yesterday expressed apprehension whether tolerance and acceptance of dissent are on the wane and said that humanism and pluralism should not be abandoned under any circumstances.

The President was addressing a gathering in Birbhum district of West Bengal during a function organized by Nayaprajanma, a local weekly newspaper and Suri Sabujer Abhijan, a cultural organization.