Intolerance and violence is a betrayal of letter and spirit of democracy: Pranab Mukherjee

NEW DELHI: President Pranab Mukherjee on Thursday invoked a 17th century letter that Shivaji had written to Aurangzeb asking the Mughal Emperor to shun bigotry and treat all men as equal, in his address to the nation on the eve of 67th anniversary of Indian Independence.

"Intolerance and violence is a betrayal of the letter and spirit of democracy. Those who believe in the poison drip of inflammatory provocation do not understand India’s values or even its present political impulses. Indians know that progress, economic or social, is difficult without peace," Mukherjee said.

"We must defend our secular fabric with vigour," the President said. His remarks assume significance given a spurt of communal incidents, notably in UP. Mukherjee also noted green shoots of economic recovery though he appeared to defend the performance of the economy during the past 10 years, noting that it grew at an average rate of 7.6 per cent. He was FM during some of these years, from 2009 to 2012.

"Signs of revival are visible… The stage is now set for our economy to move on a high growth trajectory of 7 to 8 per cent, which is essential to ensure the availability of adequate resources for equitable development," he said. The President also wondered if Indian democracy had become too "noisy" and called for restoring the glory and grandeur of India’s institutions.

"Should not Parliament again become the great hall of sombre thought and well-debated legislation? Should not our courts of law become temples of justice? This calls for collective action by all the stakeholders," he said.

The President began his speech noting the increase in voter turnout in Polls 2014 and its upshot, a stable government with a clear majority for a single party.

"When one institution does not function in the manner expected of it, phenomenon of overreach sets in. While some new institutions might become necessary, the real solution lies in re-inventing and restoring the existing ones to serve the purpose of effective government."