Chennai: ‘Let us remember the supreme sacrifice of Mahatma Gandhi, who laid down his life in the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity and communal harmony’, said the Prince of Arcot, Nawab Mohammed Abdul Ali.
In a statement, he said, ‘communalism is a malignant disease that is upon us. It distracts attention from efforts to meet the basic needs of the people. It also brings death, destruction and horror in an expanding way, as we are witnessing in some States.’
The Prince appealed to the citizens to always bear in mind that India is a secular state, not a theocracy. ‘India today is a diverse and pluralistic society, multi ethnic, multi-linguistic, multi religious and multi-cultural. That is its great strength. It must be preserved’, he said. We are proud to be Indian, irrespectively of caste, creed or religion. India belongs to all of us and it is our duty to build and make the nation strong and vibrant, he added.
The Prince also said: ‘I once again appeal to all fellow citizens to safeguard peace, harmony, tolerance and secularism and to defend democratic values, the Constitution and the rule of Law at all times’.