Communalism threat to religion, constitution: PM

Observing that secularism meant separation of religion from politics, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said inciting people on religious grounds was betraying both religion and the constitution.

Maintaining that the forces of bigotry and communalism were trying to tear apart the "fine fabric of our composite culture", he said: "What is worse is the deployment of such intolerance for narrow political gain."

"Any political formation trying to incite people in the name of religion, whatever religion, is, in fact, betraying both religion and our Constitution," the Prime Minister said while inaugurating a two-day inter-faith harmony conclave here.