On a fine winter morning, as India celebrates its 73rd Republic Day, Dr Rajendra Prasad visits a tea stall at Haridwar.
He picks up a newspaper and reads about the recent Dharam Sansad event at Haridwar where calls were made to wipe out certain minorities.
He asks the shop owner: “Has any action been taken against them?”
“They have been arrested, I believe,” the shopkeeper replies.
He remembers his words from a speech made on August 14, 1947, where he said,
“To all the minorities in India, we give the assurance that they will receive fair and just treatment and there will be no discrimination in any form against them. Their religion, their culture and their language are safe and they will enjoy all the rights and privileges of citizenship, and will be expected in their tum to render loyalty to the country in which they live and to its Constitution. To all, we give the assurance that it will be our endeavour to end poverty and squalor and its companions, hunger and disease; to abolish distinction and exploitation and to ensure decent conditions of living.”
Source: Barandbench
