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Opinion National Interest PoV 50-Word Edit

ThePrint On Camera Videos In Pictures

Society & Culture Around Town Book Excerpts Vigyapanti The Dating Story

More Judiciary Education YourTurn Work With Us Campus Voice

We have to ensure the books we read and films we see don’t distort Indian mind: Indira Gandhi

On 20 June 1968, PM Indira Gandhi delivered a speech in Srinagar warning against communalism, regionalism, and inequality as threats to national integration.

The National Integration Council represents all the State Governments in our country. It represents also the political parties and groups in our Parliament, except for two, and I hope that these two will also join in this great co-operative endeavour to take up one of the most important problems in our country today. We have also representatives of trade unions, business and industry, educationists and those who work voluntarily in the field of national integration.

When the first National Integration Council was called in 1962, certain decisions were taken. It is unfortunate that we were lulled into a sense of complacency by the tremendous national solidarity evinced at the time of the Chinese invasion of our frontier, and at that time the Council was wound up. This revived Council, I hope, will function and become a durable institution.

All of you must have noticed that some people have reservations about this conference and scepticism regarding the revival of this Council. But a wide section of people have welcomed this move, specially those who think deeply and feel deeply about the future development of our country. I would like to assure you all that in calling this meeting we are not actuated by any partisan purpose. We hope that throughout our debate and discussions we shall maintain a high standard and not allow ourselves to be side-tracked by apportioning blame or scoring any kind of a debating point.

The great menace which our country faces today is that of communalism. After twenty years of Independence and at a time when we had thought that this problem was more or less solved, once again communal clashes are occurring in different parts of the country.

The second menace is that of provincialism or regionalism or parochialism. I believe this is evoked by the same sentiments that are behind communalism. In fact, it is an extension of the same sort of feeling. Another serious danger to national integration and perhaps one of the........

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