President Calls Upon People To Rise Above The Evils Of Sectarianism, Intolerance And Man-made Divides On The…

The President Of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee Has Called Upon People To Rise Above The Evils Of Sectarianism, Intolerance And Man-made Divides On The Occasion Of Durga Puja Also Known As Sharadotsav. Talking To Media Persons At Kirnahar Of Birbhum District Yesterday (October 11, 2013), The President Emphasized That Durga Puja Is Not Only A Religious Function But Also Has Been Transformed Into A Social Occasion. He Called Upon All To Dedicate Themselves To The Practice And Promotion Of Mutual Understanding While Participating In Durga Puja. He Said That Reaffirmation Of Faith In The Unity Of All Religion And Commitment To Secularism And Communal Harmony Is The Basic Message In Celebration Of All The Religious Festivals In India, Be It Durga Puja, Idu’l Zuha Or Christmas.

In Responding To A Question On Fraudulent Activities By The Chit Funds, The President Said That Already There Are Acts To Deal With Such Organizations. The Problem Is Caused Not Due To Lack Of Statutes But Due To Temptation And Want Of Awareness Among The People. The President Emphasized The Need For Awareness Generation About This By Media And All Concerned.

Regarding His Remark On Trans-border Terrorism, The President Said Whatever He Told A Newspaper Of Turkey Is The Declared Policy Of Government Of India. He Had Said The Same Thing As The Minister In Charge Of Defence, External Affairs And Finance And Also In Parliament, And There Is Nothing New In This.

Earlier On The Day, The President Attended A Programme In Visva-bharati At Santiniketan To Commemorate The Award Of Asia’s First Nobel To Rabindranath Tagore. He Inaugurated The Programme By Lighting The Lamp. The Programme On ‘asia’s First Nobel-a Few Song Offerings From Gitanjali’ Was Presented By Prof. Sushanta Dattagupta, Vice-chancellor, Visva-bharati In Conjunction With Sangit-bhavana.

This Release Issued At 1200 Hrs