2019 should be a battle to reclaim India’s soul, says Shashi Tharoor

The battle to be held in 2019 for power in Delhi should be beyond political lines; it should be a battle for India’s soul, said Shashi Tharoor MP.
Shashi Tharoor MP and actor Prakash Raj sharing a light moment during a seminar on ‘Tolerant India and Secular India’  organised in connection with the birth centenary celebration of RSP Leader Baby John in Thiruvananthapuram  on Monday | B P Deepu
Shashi Tharoor MP and actor Prakash Raj sharing a light moment during a seminar on ‘Tolerant India and Secular India’ organised in connection with the birth centenary celebration of RSP Leader Baby John in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday | B P Deepu

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The battle to be held in 2019 for power in Delhi should be beyond political lines; it should be a battle for India’s soul, said Shashi Tharoor MP. Delivering a talk at a seminar on ‘ Tolerant India and secular India’ in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday, he said the timeless values the country had cherished or preserved and the idea of acceptance upon which the country had been built up centuries ago were now under threat. And the fight in 2019 should be an attempt to recreate and rebuild the country, he said. There is a language of hatred, intolerance and bigotry in the country now. And even when the terrible incidents such as the ones in Kathua and Unnao take place in the country, the Prime Minister of the country is keeping silent and going on a foreign trip, he said.   

He also said there had been scores of attacks on mosques and temples in the pre-independent history of the country by various rulers. But those fights were part of the assertion of political authority and not religiously motivated. He also cited an example for the peaceful coexistence of various communities in Kerala, telling it was Kozhikode Zamarion, a contemporary of erstwhile king of Kodungallur Cheraman Perumal, who gave an old temple structure to construct a mosque to Malik Bin Dinar in Kodungallur.

On the other hand, the British fomented and financed division in the country and they even created divisions among Sunnis and Shias. Talking on the occasion, actor Prakash Raj said the latest incidents were not simply driven by lust, but with an agenda. He said there were questions from various quarters when he raised his voice against intolerance, asking why he was meddling in political affairs. “But it is my responsibility as an actor to be politically sensitive and I will continue it,” he said.

N K Premachandran, MP, who spoke on the occasion, said the 2019 parliament elections will be a fitting reply to the ruling dispensation at the Centre for indulging in divisive politics. Shibu Baby John of the RSP who presided over the function said people should ready to shed caste from their names and it should be taken as a campaign in the country.

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