President Pranab Mukherjee worried over rising conflict

Dantan (WB): President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday  lamented the “growing conflict and difference of opinion” in the society and said there was a stronger need to enhance mutual respect, remarks that came against the backdrop of protests in the country over several issues.

“These days whenever you see newspaper and watch TV, there are news of regular violence. I am not talking about international violence, but it is also about violence in our minds, our conscious and conflict in our souls,” Mr Mukherjee said after inaugurating the 28th Dantan Gramin Mela here. Dantan is a tiny town in Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal.

“I am talking about day to day small incidents, not about international violence. There were conflicts and difference of opinion earlier also. But now this kind of situation is increasing day by day,” he said against the backdrop of recent protests in Bhangar in West Bengal and over construction of a Power Grid sub-station, Jallikattu ban in Tamil Nadu.

Mr Mukherjee said that earlier, such conflicts used to be prevented at a local level but now “it is spreading like anything”.

Expressing concern that “the world is becoming more violent”, the President said: “It is not the general trend of human society. People used to love each other, accept each other, and not reject. The human psychology is to love each other and not spread hatred.” In the present scenario, there is a stronger need for enhancing mutual respect, he said. He also mentioned that earlier people never used to get to know incidents of violence, but now they are aware thanks to the key role being played by the media. Talking about the Dantan Gramin Mela, Mr Mukherjee said that such rural fairs bring hope for brotherhood, harmony and peaceful co-existence among people.

“You cannot see this kind of mela in urban areas. These types of mela reflect eternal sense of rural areas,” he said.