Vice President Shri M Venkaiah Naidu said that some people seem to have a problem with the word ‘Hindu’. “There are some people in this country who have some allergy towards this word ‘Hindu’. We can’t help them and they have got every right to have that view. But they are not right,” he said. Vice President said that respect for all Indians is “inherent in the Indian blood”. He was speaking at an event to mark the centenary of Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam, a Tamil monthly of Sri Ramakrishna Math in Chennai on January 12.
“ Today more than ever, there is a need to bring down walls that create differences among people. We follow Sarva Dharma Sama Bhavana — that is in our Indian blood and part of our civilization,” he said.
Speaking about Swami Vivekanand’s teachings on his birth anniversary , the Vice President said that the saint had a great role to play in spreading Hinduism to the West. He said, “He was a social reformer and was against religious dogmas and believed in the uplift of humanity irrespective of caste or creed and emphasised that spiritualism is important for the survival of mankind.”
He also quoted the saint and said that Swami Vivekananda was proud to belong to a religion “that has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance…the only religion which says all religions are true. That is the greatness, that is the beauty of this religion (Hinduism).” He had also said that the nation has always sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all nations of the earth.
“Now also we are ready to accept those who are persecuted though some people are trying to make it controversial,” Vice President said while adding, “That is our culture, our heritage. This is what our forefathers have told us”.
