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dated February 1, 1956: PM's stress on unity

Prime Minister Nehru has called upon the people to take up with determination the challenge the spectre of provincialism had posed in the country. Addressing a public meeting in New Delhi, arranged by the State Congress Committee in observance of the eighth death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, he expressed confidence that "we will come out victorious in this struggle for maintaining the unity of the country and curbing the fissiparous and parochial tendencies." The Prime Minister devoted a major part of his hour-long speech to warn the people against falling a prey to "this old disease of ours to lose ourselves in petty quarrels and thereby lose sight of the great things that we have set to achieve." In a moving reference to the Mahatma's martyrdom, he said: "Today, eight years ago, a very great man's blood flowed in India. He shed his blood for the unity of the country. If today we forget this, we shall prove ourselves to be unworthy of the great martyrdom. I, however, hope that we will not be proved unworthy of this great lesson. We have the capacity to learn from our mistakes and control ourselves. If we sometimes stumble and fall, we can stand up and rise again. We have to think of the principles that Gandhiji upheld. We have to remember also that we will succeed to the extent we follow those principles. Our journey is not yet over. We have yet to go a long way. We have yet many a tryst with destiny to keep. Are we to do it in the petty way, the violent way, which was exhibited in Bombay and some other parts? Or are we to do it in our own glorious united and peaceful way? I am sure our people will give no quarter to this goondaism which has degraded and defamed us and our country. "

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