India of my dream is not where everyone must wear 'nationalism on their sleeves': Singhvi

An India where everyone must wear "nationalism on their sleeves" and "intolerance" of others on the lips cannot be the India of anyone's dreams, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said Friday.

He said this in his valedictory address, titled 'India of My Dreams', at the 113th annual session of the PHD Chamber of Commerce.

Quoting former US President Abraham Lincoln's famous line -- Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people -- he asserted that "unless we impart that sense of co-ownership of democracy irrespective of caste, creed and religion to each Indian, the idea of India as a nation cannot survive".

And, it is with this insight that "we have to deeply introspect the new ethics of the so-called new India".

"An India where everywhere, everyone must wear one's nationalism on his sleeves and one's intolerance for others on the lips. An India where fear or trust, both of your neighbour and governmental and regulatory authority pervades the mind, cannot be the India of anyone's dreams," he said.

During his address, he, however, mentioned that he was not making any political statement but outlining the roadmap of an India as he envisioned it.

"An India, which looks upon sections of its own citizens as if they live here as licencees, and at the sufferance of others, subject to good behaviour determined by you, is the very anti-thesis of India of my dreams.

"An India which believes uniformity upon diversity and not unity in diversity, is the answer to all our ills, is an India which cannot have a great future," Singhvi said.

In his address, he also lauded the contributions of the Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in nation-building.

"Irrespective of all the Nehru-bashing that goes on, he was an eternal diplomat. And, he nurtured the institutions and democratic values," the Congress leader said.

Singhvi flagged the drop-outs happening in schools, and pitched for "reinventing and repackaging the curriculum," claiming it was "far too pedantic".

He also suggested that steps be taken to increase the number of judges in courts, to better serve people.