Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his monthly radio address to the nation, 'Mann Ki Baat', has called upon people to respect and celebrate India's diversity, saying “peace, harmony and unity were the key to progress.”
Remembering Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ahead of his birthday anniversary on October 31, Modi said the “mantra” of unity must consistently be the medium of “our thinking, behaviour and expression.” “India is full of diversity. It has different sects, different religions, different languages and different castes. There are so many diversities in our India and this diversity is our beauty,” the Indian PM said. “In other words, the run for unity is the guarantee for run for the run for progress.” He urged people to pay tributes to Patel by carrying his mantra for unity forward. Modi said that if this diversity was not there, “we would not have been able to feel proud. Therefore diversity is the mantra for unity.”
The prime minister's comments come at a time when communal tensions have risen in different parts of the country, over beef ban and religious processions. This is the second time he referred to the issue, earlier using his rally in Nawada, Bihar to deliver a strong message.
