HYDERABAD: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said the Indian community was built on the foundations of fundamentally tolerant civilization and the country celebrates religious diversity by upholding religious freedom.
Speaking at the Graduation Day of Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology here, he said, “...I have the honour of asserting that India is a country built on the foundations of a civilisation that is fundamentally tolerant. In India, religious freedom is a fundamental right guaranteed under Articles 25 to 28 of our Constitution.”
His statements come in the wake of the US State Department's International Religious Freedom Report 2018, that alleged “mob attacks by violent extremist Hindu groups against minority communities, particularly Muslims, continued in India in 2018.”
“In spite of languages, in spite of so many religions, in spite of different political parties, we are able to live together with peace and trust. There may be some isolated incidents here and there. They have to be isolated. They have to insulated. They have to be condemned and action has to be taken against those people...” he said.
“We do not need lessons from anybody. Some countries, of late, have started giving us pravachans (sermons), forgetting what is happening back in their own countries. If at all you have to grade number one, the most secular country... is Indian civilization, India, that is Bharat, our motherland.”
Further, he reminded all that India is the birthplace of four major religions of the world Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism and significant population of three other religions of the world - Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism - live in India. In fact, Indian Muslims constitute the third largest Muslim population in the world, he added.
The motto of Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas Sabka Vishwas has its roots in the core principles of Indian civilisation, he said.
According to him, certain “aberrations like looking at minorities as vote banks” may have had some undesirable socio-political ramifications, but the situation is changing as a new, young and aspirational India is emerging fast.
He asked the graduating students to be fearless in charting new territories and adopt teamwork as the success ‘mantra’. He wanted them to dream big and work hard to achieve their dreams. The Home Minister of Telangana, Mohammad Mahmood Ali, vice chancellor of Osmania University Prof S Ramachandram, secretary, Sultan-ul-Uloom Education Society Zafar Javeed, chairman, Sultan ul-Uloom Education Society, Khan Lateef Mohd Khan and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.