Difference of opinion is essential in democracy: President

Newspapers have a big role to play in encouraging debate, said the president

GN Bureau | January 20, 2017


#Freedom of Speech   #Intolerance   #Pranab Mukherjee  


There is no scope for intolerance, said president Pranab Mukherjee who added that there must be debate, dissent and decision without which parliamentary democracy will not be strong.

Addressing the 35th anniversary celebrations of Aajkaal daily on Thursday in Kolkata, the president said difference of opinion is essential in a democracy.

He said that newspapers have a big role to play in encouraging debate and cautioning society from deviations and mistakes.

He referred to cartoons of P.K.S. Kutty, published in Aajkaal, in which he was caricatured and said he enjoyed seeing those cartoons. Pointing out that cartoons represent important social commentary, the president cited the example of how the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru would tell the doyen of Indian cartoonists, "Don't spare me, Shankar".

He said Nehru's example of tolerance to criticism and satire should be preserved and strengthened in the modern day.
 

Comments

 

Other News

₹10 lakh penalty on Ola for pre-ride ‘tip’ feature

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates the ride-hailing platform Ola, for soliciting additional payments from consumers before completion of their journeys through its pre-ride ‘tip’/‘add-o

Retail inflation crosses 6% mark

Retail inflation based on Consumer Price Index for October has reached 6.09%, whereas year-on-year food inflation, based on Consumer Food Price Index, for October is 8.94%, an official release said on Thursday.   Year-on-year inflation rate based on All India Consumer Price I

Cabinet approves museum at North-South Block complex

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday has approved the development of the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) at the North and South Block Complex, New Delhi, at an estimated total project cost of ₹3,230 crore, as appraised by the Public Investmen

Cabinet approves extension of Noida metro corridor

The Union Cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, has approved the extension of Aqua Line Metro Rail Corridor from Noida Sector-51 to Greater Noida Sector-04 of Noida Metro Rail Project with corridor for a length of 8.449 km with 5 elevated stations. On operationalization of this corridor, Noid

India reaffirms commitment to climate multilateralism

India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate multilateralism and the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC), calling for a fair, equitable and ambitious outcome at the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framewo

How the mind can help the body heal itself

Why do some people recover from illness against all odds? Can our beliefs, emotions and consciousness influence the body’s ability to heal? Drawing on over three decades of experience in medicine, research and medical innovation, internationally trained ophthalmologist and author Dr Dinesh Verma ex

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter