Communalism, religious extremism and bigotry pose grave danger to countrys unity and integrity : Manmohan Singh

President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presented the Kabir Puraskar and National Communal Harmony Awards to Ram Babu Singh Chauhan, Rabindra Nath Upadhyaya and the Institute of Socialist Education, here today.

New Delhi, May 23 : President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, presented the Kabir Puraskar and National Communal Harmony Awards to Ram Babu Singh Chauhan, Rabindra Nath Upadhyaya and the Institute of Socialist Education, here today.

Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, L.K.Advani, Minister of State in Home Ministry, Sriprakash Jaiswal were present on the occasion.

Congratulating the distinguished awardees, Prime MInister Singh said that each one of them "is a source of inspiration for us all," and added that by honoring them, his government was reaffirming the nation's commitment to a value system enshrined in the Constitution.

However, he warned that the forces of communalism and religious extremism and bigotry pose grave danger to the country's unity and integrity.

"Those who promote divisive agendas of communalism and casteism threaten to disrupt the unity and integrity of our country," Dr.Singh said.

Elaborating on the merits of the awardees, Singh said Ram Babu Singh Chauhan was a man deeply inspired by the life Kabir, and through his walkathon from Hathras to Agra to promote national integration, he had sought to further the ideals of the great saint.

Both in thought and deed, Ram Babu represented the universal values enshrined in all great religions of helping the underprivileged and those in need, the Prime Minister added.

Commenting on Rabindra Nath Upadhyaya, a freedom fighter from Assam, Singh said that his rich experience in India's struggle for independence, should serve as an inspiration to work for the underprivileged sections in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Tripura.

"His development work offers hope to a people caught between insurgency and economic backwardness. r. Singh also praised the Institute of Socialist Education for the good work done to keep alive the values of India's freedom struggle.

Shashi Bhushan's book "Fundamentalism: A Weapon Against Human Aspirations", he said, places great emphasis on the role of education and the idea of social equality in the fight against religious extremism.

ANI