Unity in diversity is the strength of India, says President Pranab Mukherjee

Patna, April 17, 2017: President Pranab Mukherjee said unity in diversity is the strength of India and we have to maintain it at any cost.

Addressing the all India freedom fighters' felicitation function organised by the Bihat Government to celebrate the centenary year of Champaran Satyagrah, he said: "Indians use 200-hundred languages daily. Here we have 7 religions but there is one identity that we are Indian".

"Working under one national flag and Constitution is the quality of this nation. We have to launch movement against the thoughts of communalism and regionalism to keep the nation united", he said.

He said the effort of the Bihar Government is laudable which takes pain to honour freedom fighters in one stage.

"Champaran turned into a laboratory of freedom movement and from there Satyagrah got its identity", he said,

"We can not forget the sacrifice made by Mahatma Gandhi for the country", he said.

In all 817 freedom fighters in which 207 were from 19 other states were honoured in the function.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the growing intolerance could be tamed by following Mahatma Gandhi's ideology. "If 10 to 15 per cent of new generation youths start following Gandhian thoughts, the society will see a sea change in the next 10 to 1 years", he said.

Photo: Aftab Alam Siddiqui