CHENNAI: In his Keynote address, at a meeting, organised by the Forum for Democracy and Communal Amity (FDCA) Tamil Nadu Chapter, under the theme ‘Democracy and Secularism in the present Indian Context,’ held recently, the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali, appealed to all fellow citizens to preserve and protect secularism. It is part of the basic structure of the Constitution and is non-negotiable, at any cost, to keep the nation healthy at all times, he said. “Frequent attacks on minority communities by divisive forces is not a good sign for the peaceful co-existence of all people belonging to various faiths and for the steady development and progress of the nation,” he added.
India is a secular state, not a theocracy, and we are part of humanity with all its rich diversity of religions, languages, cultures, traditions and experience and India forms a large microcosm of the contemporary world. Indian law specifically prohibits the practice of communalism, the promotion of disharmony, enmity and ill-will between different religious communities and the exploitation of religion for electoral purposes. We must always bear in mind that Secularism is the oxygen without which India cannot survive, he pointed out.
The Prince recalled the supreme sacrifice of Mahatma Gandhi, who laid down his life in the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and communal harmony, who said a week before his martyrdom, - “It would spell the ruin of both the Hindu religion and the majority community if the latter, in the intoxication of power, entertains the belief that it can crush the minority community and establish a purely Hindu Rashtra.”
Among those who spoke on the occasion were Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former Governor of West Bengal, delivered his inaugural address, M Ezra Sargunam, Bishop - President, Evangelical Church of India and Dr Muhammed Salim, Acting National General Secretary,FDCA, gave special address. Earlier, KM Aasim Shehzad, Convenor, FDCA, Advocate, Madras High Court welcomed the gathering. Ahmed Ali, Assistant Convenor, proposed a vote of thanks.