Vice President M Hamid Ansari today said that the Indian approach to nationalism is based on a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilingual society and a secular polity rather than religious one.
He said this while delivering the 'Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Memorial lecture 2014' on 'A Century of Turmoil in Western Asia: Some pitfalls of Nationalism', organised by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
"This, in fact, has been the Indian approach. It is premised on the ground reality of a plural society that is multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multilingual, a secular polity rather than a religious one, and a democratic state structure functioning on the basis of Rule of Law," he said.
According to Ansari, each of these ingredients constitute the core values of the Constitution, "none can be abridged or abandoned without damaging the constitutional structure and endangering social harmony, nor can another set of values be grafted on the richness of Indian diversity without impinging on its uniqueness".
Citizens know that Article 51 of the Constitution enjoins among Fundamental Duties the preservation of the heritage of composite culture, he said.
Ansari termed Azad as a passionate believer in this diversity and the pluralist and liberal nationalism emanating from this diversity.
After his lecture, it was announced by the organisers that Ansari had dedicated the honorarium, a sum of Rs 1 lakh, to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.
