'Secularism a necessity for India', says Sonia Gandhi at Nehru commemoration event

Asserting that secularism was more than just an ideal, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Monday said it was a compelling necessity for a country as diverse as India.

"There could be no Indians, no India without secularism. Secularism was and remains more than an ideal; it is a compelling necessity for a country as diverse as India," she said here at the international conference to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

"Nehru's belief that only Parliamentary democracy and a secular state could hold the country together has been proved right. ....the truth of this conviction can be seen in the conflicts raging in various parts of the world in the name of religion. Secularism, a state neutral in matters of religion, respecting all faiths equally was an article of faith with Nehru," she added.

The Congress president also credited Jawaharlal Nehru for industrialization and building infrastructure in the country.

"Recognising that independent India needed a rapid creation of infrastructure and industry, he built a strong public sector to lead the country's economic emergence," Sonia Gandhi said.

In a series of tweets the Congress party's twitter handle shared the views of Congress President Sonia Gandhi's address.

"Nehru was a man of letters who interpreted India to the World and the World to India. In 1947, India was a new born state, in turmoil after partition. Pandit Nehru brought stability and hope. Nehru's views on politics as the vehicle of transformation brought stability," the Congress party's twitter handle tweeted.

The Congress president also reminded before an audience of home and abroad, about Nehru's legacy on fighting against apartheid.

The two day event was also attended by international leaders in the likes of former Afghan President, Hamid Karzai among others.

Except the BJP, the Congress has invited leaders of various political parties, which includes all the Left parties, JD(U), RJD, JD(S), Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) .