Secularism a necessity for India', says Sonia Gandhi

17 Nov 2014 Evaluate

Asserting that secularism was more than just an ideal, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said it was a compelling necessity for a country as diverse as India. Sonia Gandhi said at the international conference to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of India's first prime minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that there could be no Indians, no India without secularism. Secularism was and remains more than an ideal; it is a compelling necessity for a country as diverse as India.

Sonia said that Nehru's belief that only Parliamentary democracy and a secular state could hold the country together has been proved right. the truth of this conviction can be seen in the conflicts raging in various parts of the world in the name of religion. Secularism, a state neutral in matters of religion, respecting all faiths equally was an article of faith with Nehru and added that recognising that independent India needed a rapid creation of infrastructure and industry, he built a strong public sector to lead the country's economic emergence.

The two-day event was also attended by international leaders in the likes of former Afghan President, Hamid Karzai among others. Except the BJP, the Congress invited leaders of various political parties, including all the Left parties, JD(U), RJD, JD(S), Samajwadi Party and the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

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