Quoting Vivekananda and Tagore, PM Modi calls for tolerance among faiths

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called for tolerance among people of different faiths, quoting lines from Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore to affirm the same.

"Mother India gave birth to many religious and spiritual streams. Some of them have even travelled beyond Indian borders. The tradition of welcoming, respecting and honouring all faiths is as old as India itself. As Swami Vivekananda said: We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true," the Prime Minister said, while addressing the assembled during a function to celebrate the canonization of Saint Chavara and Saint Euphresia in the national capital.

"What Swami Vivekananda had said a century ago holds good and will, forever, not only for this nation but also for this government or for that matter any government in India, run by any political party," he added.

Prime Minister Modi further stated that the equal respect and treatment of all religions is integral to the Constitution of India.

"This principle of equal respect and treatment for all faiths has been a part of India's ethos for thousands of years. And that is how it became integral to the Constitution of India. Our Constitution did not evolve in a vacuum. It has roots in the ancient cultural traditions of India," he said.

"Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had inspired us to dream of a land where the mind is without fear and the head is held high. It is that heaven of freedom we are duty bound to create and preserve. We believe that there is truth in every religion," he added.

Father Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Sister Euphrasia had been canonized by Pope Francis in November 2014 at St Peter's Square in the Vatican City.