Jammu, Dec 11 (UNI) Asserting that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take a lead in ending malady in the larger interest of retaining secular fabric of India, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Monday decried exploitation of religious sentiments for political and electoral gains.
‘’The country of Mahatma Gandhi cannot afford to get fragmented into bits and pieces on the basis of religion to satiate the political agendas of a few political outfits’’, Dr Abdullah said while addressing NC OBC Cell functionaries here at party head office.
He said that nothing better can be expected from the reactionary forces, who were now taking pride in decorating the killer of the Father of Nation.
He expressed concern over vitiating the ongoing Gujarat elections on religious basis and described it as a saddest development in the Indian polity and hoped that the Prime Minister to appreciate danger of communal polarization, adding that the nation as such should also introspect over the sordid state of political affairs.
‘’Mr Modi is the Prime Minister of all, irrespective of religious or regional affiliations and this fact should neither be ignored nor undermined”, Dr Abdullah said, hoping that he (Modi) will not allow himself to get swayed by petty politics.
He advised the BJP and the RSS to refrain from generating passions and exploiting public sentiments, especially during elections, adding that the growing trend of dividing the nation on religious lines is detrimental to the national interest and such a tendency should be eschewed at all costs.
Dr Abdullah also lamented the attempts of provoking people to fight over Mandir and Masjid issues just in furtherance of political objectives and said, ‘’India does not belong to a specific religion but it is a beautiful vase of flowers of different colours. The people of all the faiths have equal rights in secular India’’.
‘’In the prevailing vicious atmosphere, National Conference has a challenging role to keep the flag of secularism aloft,’’ said Dr Abdullah and recalled the sacrifices offered by its top leaders and front-ranking workers during the horrendous days of 1947.
He said this spirit, bequeathed by Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah, will continue to guide the people in general and the cadre in particular in shaping destiny of the State.
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