Those making anti-national comments considered intellectual, elite: Parrikar

Making anti-national comments has become a fashion and those who speak against the country nowadays are sometimes considered intellectual and elite, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said on Tuesday.

He also said that the ongoing debate on mandatory standing up while the national anthem is being played nakes him sad.

"Today, there are many problems confronting the country... anyone who speaks against the country is sometimes considered as one with great intellect, smart, and elite. Speaking against the country has become a fashion," Parrikar said at an event to observe the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas and Rashtriya Sankalp Diwas here.

"I read a few days back that there is no problem to sit when the national anthem is playing. I was really sad," the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said.

The Rashtriya Sankalp Diwas is observed to mark the death anniversary of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, while the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas marks the birth anniversary of independent India's first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

--IANS

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