Indian High Commissioner says unity in diversity can ensure peace, stability

Fri, Nov 1, 2019 | By publisher


Foreign, General News

Mr Shri Thakur, the High Commissioner of India to Nigeria said on Friday that diverse and complex societies such as Nigeria and India need to strike a balance between unity and diversity if they were to ensure peace and stability.

Thakur said this in Abuja at an event organised by the commission to mark it National Unity Day and the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

He said that Sardar Patel’s power of persuasion, combined with a position of strength and force of personality ensured that more than 550 princely states were united without any form of violence.

“The National Unity Day or Rashtriya Ekta Divas today is a highly symbolic day, whenwe are marking four important occasions.

“First, today is the 144th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

“The First Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of India.

“Second, we are marking the 35th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi, the former Prime Minister of India.

“Third, in accordance with the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019, the Union Territories of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have been formally constituted with effect from today.

“Fourth, all government of India departments are observing the Vigilance Awareness Week from Oct.28 to Nov.2, 2019, the week in which Sardar Patel’s birthday falls with the theme `Integrity A Way of Life’.

“All these four occasions have a common thread that binds them together.

“Sardar Patel is widely known as the Iron Man of India, a stalwart that unified India,” he added

He, however, said that the most important aspect of Patel’s personality and success was the manner in which he integrated princely states into India one after the other in 1947.

Prof. Abdul Na’allah, the Vice Chancellor of University of Abuja said that Patel was one of the great men that made the difference in the world and the greater force behind where India stood today.

He said that through diplomacy, Patel was able to bring together diverse people, many of whom were thought to be groups that would never be united.

Na’Allah said that he never thought there was another country in the world with as much diversity as Nigeria until he traveled to India.

He said that there could be appreciable unity in diversity in both countries if the people could make their children speak the indigenous languages as the lingua franca. (NAN)

-Nov 1, 2019 @15:10 GMT |

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