As the nation prepares to celebrate its 70th Republic Day, President Ram Nath Kovind asserted on Friday that India belongs to every group, community, religion, identity and individual, as pluralism is its greatest strength and example to the world.
Addressing the nation, he said the Indian model rests on a tripod of diversity, democracy and development, and the country cannot choose one above the other.
He said the concept of India's development cannot be complete without inclusiveness — of access and opportunity for all and of “expansion and an embrace of those whom we consider our own.”
He described the recent Constitutional Amendment to provide special facilities for talented children from poorer families as another step to an “India of our dreams and that of Mahatma Gandhi.”
“Gandhiji wanted an India where the poorest will have an effective voice and there will be no high and low class and all communities will live in perfect harmony and women will enjoy the same rights as men,” said President Kovind.
Reflecting on the importance of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, he reminded citizens that an election is not just a political exercise but a collective call to wisdom and action. It represents renewal and a commitment to goals and hopes for a shared and egalitarian society.
He said, the country is at a key juncture, and the decisions and actions of today will shape the remainder of the 21st century. While reminding citizens about the India growth story, the President cautioned that there are still waters to cover, gaps to fill and tears to wipe. “The country has to recalibrate its yardstick of achievement and success from quantity to quality and literate to a knowledge society,” he said.
India is at the doorstep of eliminating extreme poverty for the first time in memory, he reminded. Affordable medicines and medical devices and implants are becoming a reality for increasingly more people, and a great number of Indians than ever previously have access to housing with modern sanitation and electricity.
He complimented the government for interconnecting the nation area by area, converting difficulties into availabilities, step by step and year by year.
The President emphasized the need for open communication, honest conversation and unstinted compassion towards groups that have been historically disadvantaged.
He said, the concept of seva — devotion to public service and to the broadening of the ambit of justice — must get its due. The well-intentioned contribution of individuals, group of people, institutions and society at large must be acknowledged and appreciated.
“These are the guiding principles for India at home as well as abroad,” he said, adding that they shape India's global approach in peacemaking, climate change, mitigation, development partnership, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.