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To mark the 150th anniversary of the 1857 uprising next year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the youth to hold nationwide yatras to celebrate that example of Hindu-Muslim unity.
Addressing a national youth convention in New Delhi on Tuesday, Dr Singh suggested converging the yatras 'from every village and town' at Meerut and then marching to the Lal Qila in New Delhi on May 10, 2007. The convention, organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan, aimed to discuss programmes for anniversary celebrations of the 1857 uprising.
"The striking feature of the revolt of 1857 was that both Hindus and Muslims assiduously organised the front against foreign rule. This unity was visible among soldiers, the people and the leaders," the prime minister remarked.
His comment comes within a week of the Bharatiya Janata Party wrapping up its twin Bharat Suraksha yatras, which were organised by L K Advani in the wake of the temple blasts in Varanasi. He also wanted to 'raise awareness' about what he called the ruling United Progressive Alliance's minority appeasement policy.
Dr Singh spoke extensively about religious peace and emphasised the need to prevent 'frustrated elements' from disturbing communal harmony. "They must not be given scope to achieve their aims," he emphasised.
He commended the architects of the Indian republic for declaring it a secular state. "They had the vision to recognise that India can prosper only as a secular society, where there is no discrimination against any citizens on the basis of caste, religion and creed. The importance of communal harmony, I think, needs no reiteration. It is sine qua non for our survival as a civilised polity," Dr Singh said.
The prime minister deplored the use of religion to commit violence, saying such acts amounted to disservice to faith and to humanity. "Tolerance is an important lesson of all religions," he said, hailing India's religious, ethnic and linguistic diversities as a source of its greatness.
Dr Singh also asked the youth to participate extensively in the 'imaginative' programmes his government has launched for nation-building.