Vice President Venkaiah Naidu said on Friday that peace is a prerequisite for achieving progress as it has been proven that violence does not bring any solutions.
He also disapproved of arson and damage to property and vehicles saying that if someone wants to oppose any measure, then they should “burn the idea” behind it instead of engaging in physical violence.
His statements come in the wake of violent protests in the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
He was speaking at the inauguration of the 100th ‘All India Oriental Conference’ being hosted by Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University here.
“We have to see to it that we as a nation develop positive attitude, leave negativism, stop affliction, destruction and move towards construction…that should be the attitude of everybody,” he said.
“After all it is your own country. Burning a bus, burning a train and burning vehicles…you will have to burn the idea not the physical things. And violence cannot bring any solution, it has been proven,” he said.
“Peace is very much required for progress and if we have tension, then you cannot pay attention. So we must all come together to create a peaceful co-existence, peaceful country and peaceful world so that the entire humanity can live happily, not only with prosperity.
“Prosperity alone will not give happiness. You require something more for happiness. That is there in our Indian tradition and you should see to it that this tradition reaches the new generation,” he added.
Naidu also said that people should not be discriminated on the basis of religion or caste.
“One should not differentiate between communities…We should go by our culture and tradition. Share and care is the core of Indian philosophy. ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ (the worldis one family) is the philosophyof India and we must propagate it and practice it,” he said.
“We cannot treat anybody on the basis of religion, history or caste. Who said who is upper and who is lower? Who has said it? Is it like upper berth or lower berth?” the vice president asked.
“Where is it written? What did Ram Acharyaji say a thousand years back? What did Adi Shankarcharya say thousands of years back? What did Dnyaneshwarji and Tukaramji say?…This is all creation of indifference, which is now creating trouble for us. We must come out of it and go back to our culture and tradition,” he said.
Stressing the importance of regional languages, Naidu said that children should be given education in their respective mother tongues at least up to high school.
“It should be a matter of concern for us that around 200 languages are on verge of extinction in our country. We should use our regional languages as much as we can in our personal life, family and community,” he said.
“I appeal to all the governments in the country, Central and state, local and public organisations to take a lead and ensure that the initial education- from primary up to high school- should be in the respective mother tongue only.
“Then you can have English medium, I have no problem. You can have medium, but in the beginning it should in mother tongue,” he said.
According to Naidu, “consultation, exchange of information and information with confirmation” are required in the society.
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