HYDERABAD: Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said that secularism is not an optional principle but a force that continues to resist divisive forces.
Stating that secularism is essential for India’s unity and progress, he said that the Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family have consistently stood for secularism and national unity. The minister was speaking at the 35th Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Yatra Smarakotsavam held at Charminar.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and other senior Congress leaders attended the event, which marks the historic Sadbhavana Yatra started by former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1990 from Charminar.
Upholding Rajiv’s vision
Presiding over the event, Uttam said: “The Sadbhavana Yatra was born out of Rajiv Gandhi’s conviction that India must reject communal hatred. The Congress continues to uphold that vision,” he said.
He noted that both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had chosen Hyderabad, a city often tested by communal tensions, to spread the message of peace and unity.
Praise for organisers
The minister commended BC Commission chairperson T Niranjan for organising the Sadbbhavabana Yatra commemoration programmes for the past 35 years.
“During the BRS government’s decade-long rule, the police repeatedly denied permission for this programme, citing reasons like traffic disruption. But Niranjan and his team did not give up. They organised dharnas, sought legal routes and ensured that the flag-hoisting ceremony continued each year,” he said.
Speaking about this year’s Sadbhavana Awardee, Uttam said the Congress party was proud to honour senior Congress leader and former Union minister Salman Khurshid.
“Salman Khurshid’s grandfather Dr Zakir Husain served as India’s third President. His father Khurshid Alam Khan was a Lok Sabha MP and External Affairs Minister, and later served as Governor of three states. Salman Khurshid carries forward that legacy with distinction,” he said.