Miscellaneous - This Day That Age   

dated December 28, 1955: Nehru's call to countrymen

Prime Minister Nehru said at a public meeting in Nilambur on December 27 that in political and national affairs, they had to keep together while in religious matters they could stick to their respective religions. "We have been a poor country because we were under foreign rule and had to face many difficulties. Now that we are free, we have to work hard for our country so that it may become prosperous like other countries. Recently many eminent visitors came from abroad. They were the leaders of the Soviet Union, the King of Saudi Arabia, the King of Nepal and others. Why did all these people come here? Because all of them are interested in finding out how we, all of us, work together. You know that in India there are many religions - Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and others. All these are religions of our country and we must respect each other's religion and cooperate with each other and not interfere with others. That is how India has lived in the past and that is how we wish to live in the future, that is, respecting each other and working with each other. Each person's religion is a private matter and he can follow any religion he chooses. But working for the nation is not a religious matter and that is the duty of all. If we are poor it is in our interest to fight poverty, whether we are Hindus, Muslims or Christians."

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