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Sonia to meet President Pranab, discuss ‘growing intolerance’

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Nov 02, 2015 11:44 AM IST

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday to bring his attention towards the alleged “growing intolerance” and “communal tensions” in the country.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi will meet President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday to bring his attention towards alleged “growing intolerance” and “communal tensions” in the country.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi with President Pranab Mukherjee.(PTI File Photo)
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi with President Pranab Mukherjee.(PTI File Photo)

Congress sources said Gandhi, along with her son and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, will lead a party delegation to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The proposed meeting came against the backdrop of a large number of writers and artists returning their awards in protest against alleged “intolerance” and “religious tension”.

The government has accused opposition Congress, Left thinkers and activists of practising “ideological intolerance” towards the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Centre also dubbed these protests as “manufactured rebellion”.

Read: Jaitley accuses Cong of ‘ideological intolerance’ against PM Modi

For his part, the President himself has spoken on the issue at least three times in the recent past.

“Our country has thrived due to its power of assimilation and tolerance. Our pluralistic character has stood the test of time… Multiplicity is our collective strength which must be preserved at all costs,” he said on Saturday, inaugurating the golden jubilee celebration of the Delhi high court.

Gandhi too has consistently attacked the NDA government, claiming that ever since it assumed power rationalists were being harassed and efforts were made to stoke communal tensions through rumours.

Presenting the 29th Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration to social activist PV Rajagopal on Saturday, Gandhi said the people of a “particular ideology” were spreading hatred and that all of this was part of a “predetermined plan”.

Earlier in March, Gandhi had led a march of about 100 leaders from 11 opposition parties - Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, the Left Front, DMK, Trinamool Congress and others -- to the Rashtrapati Bhawan against the NDA government’s controversial land acquisition bill.

Read: ‘Not much difference between IS and RSS’: Writers hit back at govt

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