Senior Cong leader slams TN Guv Ravi�s 'no need for secularism in India' remark

Chennai, Sep 23 (IANS) Senior Congress leader and MP from Virudhunagar Lok Sabha constituency, Manickam Tagore on Monday came out against Tamil Nadu Governor, RN Ravi’s alleged statement on Sunday that “in India, there is no need for secularism.”

On Sunday the Tamil Nadu Governor had at a public function at Kanyakumari said, “A lot of frauds have been committed on the people of this country, and one of them is that they have tried to give a wrong interpretation of secularism.”

The Governor had said, “What does secularism mean? Secularism is a European concept, and it is not an Indian concept. In Europe, secularism came because there was a fight between the Church and the king... How can India be away from 'dharma'? Secularism is a European concept and let it be there only. In India, there is no need for secularism."

In response to this Tagore, in a post on social media platform X said, “The statement of Tamil Nadu Governor on secularism is unacceptable and is against the Constitution of India and against the Idea of India by Mahatma Gandhi, Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel.”

He said, “While the idea of secularism may be different in foreign countries, in India we respect all other religions, we respect all other traditions and we respect all other practices and this is the idea of secularism in India.”

The three-term MP said that the BJP and other affiliated organisations were against this idea of secularism in India.

He professed that the BJP wanted to insult other religions and other traditions and added that the tradition of India was not like that.

He said, “We want to celebrate diversity, we celebrate other religious beliefs, we celebrate other traditions, other languages and other practices and that is India’s idea of secularism.”

Manickam Tagore said that Tamil Nadu Governor Ravi was speaking against the Constitution.

The senior Congress leader said that the BJP and RSS were for changing the Indian constitution which was based on the thinking of Baba Saheb Ambedkar.

The Congress leader said that the Congress party will never allow that to happen.

He also said that Governor Ravi had exceeded his limits.