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dated September 29, 1956: Home Minister's warning

The Union Home Minister, Pandit G.B. Pant, has warned the forces of communalism and disruption that the Government would never tolerate their activities of violence and coercion. "Such things cannot pay in free India. There is no room for narrow mindedness, communal or otherwise, in our country. It is our determination to put an end to such things even if we have to make use of any law or force," he said. The Home Minister, who arrived in Patiala on September 27, was addressing a public meeting. Referring to the agitation against reorganisation of States, he said no decision of Parliament would be altered by any amount of pressure or violence. He assured the people of PEPSU that Patiala would lose nothing of its present importance after the merger of the State with the Punjab. Strongly criticising the activities of communal organisations, the Home Minister said: "The days of communalism are gone. Let everybody realise that there is no room for this evil in the present day India. We must sink all our differences and work together for the peace and progress of the country. Disunity and mistrust will result only in our degradation. To divide people in the name of religion is a disrespect and misuse of religion. Those who pursue the path of communalism should learn a lesson from the fate of Muslim League in Pakistan. It has been completely disowned by the people of that country. In India we need mutual understanding and sympathy. Nobody in India should dream of establishing a Hindu raj or Sikh raj or any other raj, based on communalism."

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