Bengaluru, Jan 26: Communalism has emerged as an obstacle to the development of India, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said in a recorded Republic Day message on Friday.
“We have to regretfully accept that we have not been able to make progress to achieve the development of an India that we dreamed about. There are new challenges in the path of development and the chief among them is the recent rise of communalism which poses a threat to our secular society, and this is a concern,” Siddaramaiah said in his message.
“The results of the Karnataka elections last year are a sign of hope for protection of the secular traditions of the country. Our government is ready to combat communalism. People should not fall prey to the politics of division of people on the basis of religion.
“The failures of elected governments and representatives are being hidden by creating caste and religion-based divisions in society. This is undemocratic and goes against the values of the Constitution,” he added.
Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge who was in Bengaluru on the occasion of Republic Day and participated in a flag-raising event at the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office said 2024 would be a crucial year for saving the values enshrined in the Constitution.
“The year 2024 is a very important year for India. This year will decide whether we will be able to save the values of the Constitution and democracy or go back to the age where not all people are equal,” Kharge said in his message to party workers.
The Congress president said the Union government was using emotional issues to divert attention and hide the truth from citizens.
“The Constitution ensured fundamental rights, social justice, and political rights to every citizen. Today, these pillars are under attack from the government itself.
“The founding fathers of the Constitution – Pandit Nehru, Babasaheb Ambedkar, Sardar Patel, Babu Rajendra Prasad, Maulana Azad, and others – in the Constituent Assembly would have never imagined that the Constitution would face such challenges, Kharge said.
“Today, the fundamental and basic rights guaranteed by the Constitution to every Indian, are slowly being encroached upon and being eroded. The Constitution ensured fundamental rights, social justice, and political rights to every citizen. Today, these pillars are under attack from the government itself,” he added.
Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot who spoke on behalf of the Congress government in the state – after the Republic Day parade at the Manekshaw Parade ground – said the value of “unity in diversity” must be protected in India.
“India is a nation where humanity has lived since ages. It is a country which is blessed with different religions, societies, cultures, and languages, all interplaying with each other in harmony. We have to establish peace and harmony amongst all by giving the message of ‘unity in diversity’ to the whole world and we should strive for consolidation and solidarity of our national unity,” the Karnataka Governor said.
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