Must guard ourselves against forces of intolerance, unreason, says Pranab
Must guard ourselves against forces of intolerance, unreason, says Pranab
President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said that ideally dialogue should be a continual engagement for resolving disputes among nations, but peace cannot be discussed under a “shower of bullets”.
The President also said terrorism is “war beyond any doctrine” and a “cancer which must be operated out with a firm scalpel”. Mr Mukherjee said: “There is no good or bad terrorism; it is pure evil... Terrorism is inspired by insane objectives, motivated by bottomless depths of hatred, instigated by puppeteers who invested heavily in havoc through the mass murder of innocents.” Mr Mukherjee said while nations will not agree on everything, the challenge today was existential because terrorists seek to undermine order by rejecting the very basis of strategic stability. “If outlaws are able to unravel borders, then we are heading towards an age of chaos. There will be disputes among nations; and, as is well known, the closer we are to a neighbour, the higher the propensity for disputes,” he said, in an oblique reference to Pakistan.
“There is a civilised way to bridge disagreements; dialogue, ideally, should be a continual engagement. But we cannot discuss peace under a shower of bullets,” he said.
On intolerance, the President said: “When grim instances of violence hit established values that are at the core of our nationhood, it is time to take note. We must guard against the forces of violence, intolerance and unreason.” The President said there will be occasional doubters and baiters who continue to complain, to demand, to rebel. His remarks assume significance as communal and casteist violence has been seen over the past several months.
On India’s economic growth, the President said despite occasional setbacks, India’s performance this year has been strong. “While large parts of India were affected by severe drought, other areas reeled under devastating floods. Unusual weather conditions impacted our agricultural production. Rural employment and income levels suffered.” However, overcoming challenges this year, with an estimated growth rate of 7.3 per cent, India is poised to become the fastest-growing large economy in the world, he said.
The President lauded the start-up initiatives launched by the NDA government while he raised an alarm over rising pollution levels in cities, that come in the backdrop of the “odd-even” scheme recently implemented by the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi.
On the alarming levels of pollution in the cities, he said everyone had the right to lead a healthy, happy and productive life in India. “This right has been breached, especially in our cities, where pollution has reached alarming levels. Climate change has acquired real meaning with 2015 turning out to be the warmest year on record,” he said.
Mr Mukherjee said the Indian subcontinent has a historic opportunity to become a beacon to the world at a time of great danger. “We must attempt to resolve the complex edges of the emotional and geo-political inheritance with neighbours through a peaceful dialogue, and invest in mutual prosperity by recognising that human beings are best defined by a humane spirit, and not their worst instincts. Our example can be its own message to a world in anxious need of amity,” he said.
The President said “the year 2015 has been a year of challenges, during which the global economy remained subdued. Unpredictability ruled the commodity markets.
Uncertainty marked the institutional responses. In such a troubled environment, no one nation could be an oasis of growth. India’s economy also had to face the blowback. Weak investor sentiments led to withdrawal of funds from emerging markets, including India, putting pressure on the Indian rupee. Our exports suffered. Our manufacturing sector is yet to recover fully,” he said.
