New Delhi: Underlining the significance of pluralism and diversity, President Pranab Mukherjee, in his last address to the nation on the eve of Republic Day, said on Wednesday that the nation’s strength lies in is pluralism and diversity.
“India has traditionally celebrated the ‘argumentative’ Indian, not the “intolerant” Indian,” he said. The President also batted strongly for simultaneous polls to Parliament and state assemblies. He also backed the demonetisation drive, two issues on which the government has focused its attention.
“Multiple views, thoughts and philosophies have competed with each other peacefully for centuries in our country. A wise and discerning mind is necessary for democracy to flourish,” he said.
Referring to the concept of simultaneous elections, the President said that it was the right time to acknowledge that our “systems are not perfect”, and that those “imperfections have to be recognised and rectified”. “It is for the Election Commission to take this exercise forward in consultation with political parties,” Mr Mukherjee said.
Ours a noisy democracy, says President Pranab Mukherjee
Regarding simulteneous elections, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “The settled complacencies have to be questioned. The edifice of trust has to be strengthened. The time is also ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms and a return to the practice of early decades after Independence when elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies were held simultaneously.
He underlined the strengths of India’s democracy but cautioned against disruptions in Parliament and the state Assemblies. “We have a noisy democracy. Yet, we need more and not less of democracy,” the President noted.
The President said the depth and breadth of Indian democracy sparkles in the regular elections being held in panchayati raj institutions.
