Time to widen the idea of independence, says President Kovind to nation

At a time when there is a growing debate on questions of identity, being Indian and incidents of lynching and violence, President Ram Nath Kovind on Tuesday said the country is at the cusp of achieving many long-awaited goals and should not get distracted by “contentious issues and extraneous debates.”

In a televised address to the nation on the eve of India's 72nd Independence Day, Kovind also outlined a new concept of citizenship. Every citizen will be upholding the principles of the freedom struggle if he or she simply does his or her duty with sincerity and commitment, fulfils personal and professional obligations, keeps promises, does not jump queues and respects the civic space and rights of others ahead in the line, he said.

The President also spoke about how the “power of ahinsa (non -violence)” espoused by Mahatma Gandhi was far greater than the “power of hinsa (violence)” in an apparent reference to growing incidents of lynching and violence in parts of the country.