Latching onto Pranab Mukherjee's frequent calls for preserving multiplicity and pluralistic character of the country, CPI today said the President's speech underscores NDA government's "failure" in performing its duties towards ensuring peace.
"This is the third time in a month that he has spoken up. This shows the President, custodian of the Constitution, is extremely concerned and disturbed by the situation that is emerging, the growing intolerance in the country.
"His speech means the present government of the day headed by Mr Narendra Modi has failed in its duty ensuring peace," CPI national secretary D Raja said.
Raja further hit out at Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely over his "manufactured protest" remark over intellectuals returning their awards, saying the senior BJP leader cannot put Mukherjee's comments in the same category.
"And not only the President, even the RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi have spoken out against growing intolerance. So, this is a very serious situation. The BJP leadership must come clear on President's continuous outburst," the MP demanded.
Speaking at the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Delhi High Court here, Mukherjee today called for preserving the multiplicity and pluralistic character of the country. He maintained India has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolerance.
Joining the debate on growing intolerance, Rajan today said tolerance and mutual respect was necessary to improve the environment for ideas and physical harm or verbal contempt for any particular group should not be allowed.
The RBI Governor made the remarks during the convocation ceremony of IIT-Delhi.
On October 29, Jaitley had slammed the protest by writers and film-makers for returning their Sahitya Akademi awards and National awards citing 'rising intolerance' in the country as a "manufactured protest".
