Pranab harps on communal harmony, Modi not amused

Picking up from his address delivered on the eve of the Republic Day, President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said “prevalence of peace and communal harmony must be ensured.”  He was delivering the inaugural address at the two-day conference of the governors. Insisting that peace and communal harmony must be ensured, the President said that liberties, freedom and equality were guaranteed in the Constitution and any deviation from these principles would weaken the democratic fabric of the country.

“Prevalence of peace and communal harmony must be ensured,” he said at the two-day conference attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cabinet ministers, 21 Governors and two LGs.

“Every Indian looks forward to the Constitution as the guarantor of liberties, freedom and equality. Any deviation from the principles and provisions embodied in the Constitution would weaken the democratic fabric of the country and jeopardise the social, economic and political well-being of our citizens,” he said. Mukherjee said the Governors and Lt. Governors have the “primary responsibility” to ensure that the affairs of the states and Union Territories are conducted strictly in accordance with the letter and spirit of this hallowed document.

The agenda for the conference includes security-internal and external with special focus on border security in States sharing international frontiers, financial inclusion, employment generation and employability, making skill development programmes effective, sanitation achieving the goal of Swachh Bharat by 2019 on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary and issues relating to Fifth and Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India and development related issues of North Eastern Areas.