Omkar Dattatray
India is a multi-religious, multi-caste, multi-culture and multi-dimensional country. Unity in diversity is its characteristic feature and this unity in diversity should be maintained at all costs if we have to march unitedly into 21st century. Therefore, tolerance, mutual harmony and brotherhood is the sane-quo-non for country's development as the country cannot march and develop if tolerance and communal amity is threatened. Ours is a plural and secular country and this plural character of the nation should be kept intact so that all the citizens irrespective of religion, caste, color etc feel safe and sound and all taste the fruits of development and progress. It is in place to mention that India is secular not only because the constitution has guaranteed secularism but because our grand culture and civilization has embedded tolerance and mutual brotherhood as its hallmark and corner stone. It is a fact that this communal amity and brotherhood has got constitutional guarantee and sanction by including secularism in the preamble of the constitution.
The word secular was added to the constitution later on as it was not there in the original preamble of the Indian constitution. Anyhow we should uphold tolerance, mutual amity and brotherhood as well as secular character of our nation so that the country marches on its path of development and take its rightful place as Vishwa Guru so that other nations will emulate our tolerance and secularism. For this the new government headed by Narendra Modi should give urgent and utmost attention towards maintaining the secular character of our country and it should also enhance and develop tolerance. There should be no minority and majority appeasement. But all should be treated equally as all are part of our national mainstream especially the minorities. The minorities should feel safe and sound and then only can we boast of having tolerant cultural diversity and legacy dating back to 5000 years. Therefore, the government's top priority should be to develop the theme and tenet of tolerance, secular and plural ethos of the country so that all taste the fruits of economic, social, technological and cultural development.
No one should feel superior or inferior but all should be treated equally and all should have equal opportunities for livelihood irrespective of religious or caste denomination. There is no second class citizenship as all citizens are equal before the law of the land but it should be implemented and felt in practice. Mob violence, mob lynching on whatever pretext has no place in our country and it should be discouraged and banned to instill confidence in public particularly on minorities. Those who take law into own hands and indulge in mob violence and mob lynching should be dealt with iron hand as these are cognizable offences punishable under law.
The new NDA government must act earnestly and with speed and should direct all state government and Union territories to be strict with those who indulge in mob violence and mob lynching under the garb of cow vigilantism as violence has no place in our secular and plural country. Those who indulge in mob violence are the enemies of the nation and should be treated as enemies and put behind bars. All people including minorities should feel safe and secure in the country and they should have full faith in governmental apparatus and rulers.
The new government of NDA led by BJP and its PM should give top priority to tolerance and ensure that mob violence and mob lynching should not take place. Mob lynching is a stain on the secular face of India. Therefore, all efforts should be made to maintain communal amity and brotherhood as well as tolerance in the country. The government should declare the policy of zero tolerance to intolerance so that those few anti-social and anti-national elements do not indulge in violence and mob lynching. Just as the government has zero tolerance policy against terrorism, it should also embrace on zero tolerance for intolerance so that India remains tolerant, secular and plural nation in theory and practice. Let us all strive to make India a great nation where all the people belonging to different faiths, sects and religions feel safe and secure.
(The author is a columnist and a social activist)
