The Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in New Delhi today that strength of secularism and nationalism is a strong weapon to defeat terrorism and radicalism. He was speaking at a meeting with a youth delegation of ‘India Against Terrorism’. Shri Naqvi said, “Harmony is an indispensable part of secularism in India. We have to protect this democratic heritage and use secularism as a weapon for society’s progress, brotherhood and unity. We should use strength of secularism against those forces who want to create division and confrontation in the society.” During the meeting with the youth representing ‘India Against Terrorism’, Shri Naqvi said that it is wrong to link terrorism with any religion. Terrorist elements will succeed in their nefarious designs if we will link terrorism with any religion. We have to be cautious so that terror elements’ conspiracy to create confrontation in the society can be defeated through our unity and harmony.
Naqvi said that “Political exploitation of secularism” and “Politically motivated propaganda of communalism” should be stopped and we have to walk on the strong path of country’s beautiful cultural heritage and constitutional values so that our nation’s secular and constitutional character can be protected. The minister said that “selective secularism” is a big problem for India’s secular democratic character. Secularism should be used as a weapon to strengthen unity and harmony in the society, but some “Political Champions of Secularism” have been misusing secularism for “political exploitation” which has affected the soul of secularism.
Naqvi said that India is the world’s biggest democracy and it’s also a great secular country. India has different religions, languages, culture and regional diversity but our country has been functioning through constitutional values and principles and not “religious fatwa or dictates”. He said that the youth have an important role to play in fight against terrorism and radicalism. The youth should not only be alert against evil designs of terrorist groups but they will also have to launch an “awareness war” against these terror elements. Shri MA Naqvi said that the Narendra Modi led NDA Government at the Centre has adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against terrorism. Terrorists and their masters are nervous due to this approach. We can defeat their coward acts through strength of our country’s unity and rich cultural heritage, he concluded.