July 2, 2017

He termed the mobs as the forces of darkness and backwardness.

President Pranab Mukherjee lends voice against the recent incidents of lynching, took a broadside against administration asks "are we vigilant enough proactively to save the basic tenets of our country."

He said that vigilance on the part of the citizens, intellectuals & media can act as biggest deterrent to the forces ofbackwardness and darkness.

Launching commemorative publication of the Congress party's organ National Herald, President Mukherjee also reminded the journalists that their job'll never come to an end & their motto should be "freedom first, freedom now, freedom forever".

PM Narendra Modi also breaks his silence; says killing people in the name of cow worship is unacceptable He said that "We shall have to ponder over, pause & reflect, when we read in the newspapers or see in the television that an individual is being lynched because of some alleged violation of law, when mob frenzy becomes so high, irrational & uncontrollable, we're to pause & reflect."

Pranab Mukherjee, who's going step down later this month, said that "Today I am not going to suggest that there's any apprehension of old type of colonialism to come back, but colonialism has always taken its different face with change of history, exploitation, dominance by 1 power to another power.

"I'll appeal to the mediapersons that your duty; your job has never come to an end & it'll never come to an end," he said to  journalists.

"Because of you democracy survives, people's rights're preserved, human dignity is maintained, slavery is kept away. You'll have to keep your vigilance. I am sorry I am using this word repeatedly, but I do not find any alternative appropriate word...

Mukherjee said - during the freedom struggle, every newspaper, editors & journalists boldly faced oppression & whenever there's any attempt to curb freedom, they're the first to fight.

President said that "our achievements in the last 70 years aren't just about building dams/power plants etc."

"It's not just about economic independence/regional prosperity but our unity, which is our greatest strength," Pranab Mukherjee said.

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