Religion cannot be made cause of conflict: Prez

Amid a campaign on issues like conversion, President Pranab Mukerjee on Sunday deplored the “competition in hysteria” and said religion cannot be made a cause of conflict.

Asserting the Constitution is the holy book of democracy, he said Indian civilisation had always celebrated pluralism, advocated tolerance and promoted good will between diverse communities.

“These values, however, need to be preserved with utmost care and vigilance. The freedom inherent in democracy sometimes generates an unhappy by-product when political discourse becomes a competition in hysteria that is abhorrent to our traditional ethos.”

The comments of the President came at a time when some rightwing parties have been sparking controversy by raising issues like ‘ghar wapsi’, eulogising Nathuram Godse, pressing for having more kids for increasing Hindu population and some ministers making inappropriate comments about minorities.

On the issue of India being termed a "soft power", he said, "the most powerful example of India's soft power, in an international environment where so many countries are sinking into the morass of theocratic violence, lies in our definition of the relationship between faith and polity.

"We have always reposed our trust in faith-equality where every faith is equal before the law and every culture blends into another to create a positive dynamic," the President said.

On the menace of terrorism, Mukherjee made a veiled reference about Pakistan saying that the country's "adversaries" will stop at nothing to disrupt India's progress.

“The multi-nation conflict has converted boundaries into bloodlines, and turned terrorism into an industry of evil

“While peace, non-violence and good neighbourly intentions should remain the fundamentals of our foreign policy, we cannot afford to be complacent about adversaries who will stop at nothing to disrupt our progress towards a prosperous and equitable India,” he said.