Zero tolerance for communalism is the touchstone for secularism, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Secularism was facing the biggest threat in these times, he said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Gandhi Jayanti Week celebrations here on Tuesday.
No let-up in values
The Chief Minister said Gandhi was insistent that there be no change in the values he espoused even when he was fighting the British.
One should not forget the way he managed to bring people together when communal strife was peaking and lives were being lost. His message of peace and non-violence was adopted by lakhs, angering those who wanted to foment communal tension and ultimately led them to snuff out his life.
Attempts to fray the country’s secular fabric were under way. This was the time to put up a united front against communalism, failing which the country’s future would be in peril. Fostering secularism was the way to protect the country. This should be be the foremost concern when remembering Gandhi, Mr. Vijayan said. He also spoke about the other challenge faced by the State – its reconstruction after the devastating floods recently.
Love for environment
Gandhi’s love for the environment was relevant as the State sought to develop anew. People should do whatever they could to protect the environment. There was need for scientific studies before the rebuilding began, he said.
Earlier, Governor P. Sathasivam offered floral tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the legislature complex on the occasion of the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi. Speaker P. Sreeramakrishnan accompanied the Governor.
Minister for Cooperation Kadakampally Surendran, who presided over the function, said it was the responsibility of each person to uphold secularism.
Singer K.J. Yesudas, who addressed the function, recited ‘Karmayogi’ composed by Vayalar Rama Varma to pay tribute to Gandhi. Mr. Yesudas said ‘Om,’ a combination of ‘a’, ‘u’, and m’, was the starting point of sound. It did not belong to any religion. It was a combination of these sounds by which a child addressed its mother. Rather than speak about Gandhi, it was apt to recite a poem written about him, he said.