In his Independence Day message, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said India’s 78 years of independence was the result of people overcoming social and communal differences to unite in the national movement.
Calling the country a treasure trove of regional, linguistic, and communal diversity, he warned that “reactionary forces” were trying to distort nationalism based on secularism, friendship, and coexistence, and to create divisions among people.
Vijayan said these forces were branding criticism of wrong government policies as treason, tarnishing the traditions of the national movement, and diverting attention from pressing issues by fostering communal polarization. He urged introspection on whether such trends were befitting of a nation with a “high democratic culture.”
Recalling India’s freedom struggle, Vijayan said the country’s democratic culture was rooted in humanity and mutual love, and that improving living conditions was a duty entrusted by the nation’s builders. He called for creating a “new tomorrow” using the lessons of the past, envisioning an India where everyone lives equally.
He also cautioned that, while imperialist threats from outside challenged the country’s sovereignty, internal threats were emerging that endangered unity.
According to Vijayan, communal forces were using caste and religion to weaken the emotion of India. He said the Constitution’s Preamble clearly stated the values of a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic, principles that, he stressed, must be implemented, not debated. He urged citizens to take a pledge to resist and defeat such forces with “one mind.”
