Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's concluding remarks at the meeting of the National Integration Council

I am very grateful to all those who have spoken and made very constructive suggestions on strengthening national integration.

India is a country of great diversity. It is, therefore, inevitable that when we are discussing complicated issues, like the one we have been discussing, there should be reflection of this diversity of opinion. But I am very happy to notice that we are all agreed about the need to do our very best to promote communal harmony, to prevent atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, and in the process, we must do all that we can, to stand by the values inscribed in our Constitution. It is clear from what has been said today that threats from communal, separatist and obscurantist forces to our nation`s integrity, gender relations, harmony and equality for all our citizens must be dealt with firmly and promptly. This is also reflected in the Resolution that we have adopted today. Preventing incidents of communal violence is primarily the responsibility of the local administration and the police force. But it is not only the task of administration and police. It requires a national effort led by all of us in public life, particularly those involved in the political processes, and by all our citizens in every walk of life. It is also incumbent on all of us to promote actively an atmosphere conducive to the maintenance of communal harmony.

It is now for us to rededicate ourselves to this task, and to ensure that our deliberations in this Council result in concrete steps and improvements in the communal situation, in preventing atrocities on Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, in eradicating manual scavenging and preventing violence against our women.