Air of intolerance, bigotry in nation: Governor echoes state's concerns

Kolkata: Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday said the century-old tradition of religious pluralism in the country has been challenged by the tyranny of majoritarianism in the guise of democracy.

Dhankhar was delivering his inaugural address at the Budget session of the Assembly. The Governor echoed the concerns of the state government and put forward the demands of withdrawal of NRC and NPR and also repealing of CAA. The Governor read out his Budget speech when he took up a number of other issues which have been prevailing in the country.

During his speech, Dhankhar used harsh words for the Narendra Modi government at the Centre and said: "At present, our country is at a critical juncture. The basic values and principals held so dear by the founding fathers of the Constitution are under challenge. While the formation of a government in a democracy depends on numbers, the government should also care about the security and sentiment of all sections of the populace. Spreading misinformation is the order of the day and rejection of all forms of dissent is the new fashion in the name of patriotism."

He further stated: "There is a general air of intolerance, bigotry and hatred that is straining in the variegated thread of unity tying together all the linguistic, religious and ethnic diversities in the country… We need to renew our pledge for tolerance, fraternity and solidarity so that we may focus our energy to tackle the crucial challenges such as poverty and unemployment. Internal dissensions have been diverting our attention from the country's economy that is slowing down by all indices. Before adopting any drastic measures, all sections of people must be taken into confidence."

The Governor further added: "Our nationhood is a study in plurality. We have inherited from our forefathers a country that never discriminated among the communities in terms of caste, creed, religion or food habits. The need of the moment for all of us is a deep introspection."

Dhankhar also maintained that the state government is strongly against the division of people in the name of the National Population Register (NPR) or National Register of Citizens (NRC) or even the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019.

The Governor's speech mainly revolved around the TMC-led state government's several schemes for the poor, better law and order situation and education.

Earlier in the day, he had written on Twitter: "It will be an honour to address the

Fifteenth Session of the Sixteenth Legislative Assembly of the State of West Bengal today at 2 PM — A historic occasion as for the First Time Governor born in Independent India would be addressing Assembly under Article 176 of the Constitution."