We canonize our leaders, says Ansari

Indians develop "reverential attitudes" towards personalities because we canonize them, Vice President Hamid Ansari said Friday.

Ansari made the remark at an event where he released a book, "Ambedkar Awakening: India's Social Conscience", authored by Narendra Jadhav, a member of the Planning Commission.

"(This) is an intellectual biography in the best sense of the word," the vice president said.

"We in India canonize personalities and because we do that, we develop reverential attitudes."