President deplores intolerance, wants 'Maryada' respected

President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday deplored the "divisiveness and intolerance" in the country and said attacks on "weaker sections" of Indian society were against the national ethos.

Amid the rising number of attacks by self-styled cow vigilante groups, the President in his address on the eve of the 70th Independence Day quoted former President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan as saying, "No man, no group can be his or its own law giver".

He also pointed out that "divisive political agenda" by groups and individuals can only lead to "institutional travesty and constitutional subversion".

"Polarizing debates only deepen the fault lines in public discourse," Mukherjee said while suggesting that everyone should upheld "maryada (decorum or code of conduct)" in discharge of their duties.

He exuded confidence that collective wisdom of our society can keep such forces "marginalised".

"The collective wisdom of our society and our polity gives me the confidence that such forces will remain marginalised and India's remarkable growth story will continue uninterrupted," he added.

Dwelling on women safety, Mukherjee used rather strong words to stress that every incident of violence against a woman or a child "inflicts a wound on the soul of civilization".

"We cannot call ourselves a civilized society if we fail in this duty," he said.

Reminding the nation that democracy is more than a "periodic exercise to elect a government", the President stressed that the great tree of liberty requires constant nourishment.

"Our constitution is not only a political or legal document but also an emotional, cultural and social contract," he said.

--IANS

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