Govt will not allow any religious group to incite hatred: PM Modi

New Delhi Breaking his silence on the recent church attacks Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said his government will not allow any religious group to incite hatred and will strongly act against any religious violenceThe Prime Minister who has been accused by opposition and Christian groups of turning a blind eye to a string of recent attacks on five churches and a Christian school in Delhi said his government gives equal respect to all religionsMy government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influenceNarendra ModiMy government will not allow any religious group belonging to the majority or the minority to incite hatred against others overtly or covertly Mine will be a government that gives equal respect to all religions he said at a function here He was addressing the national celebration function of the elevation to Sainthood of Kuriakose Elias Chavara and Mother Euphrasia at Vigyan BhawanIn a stern warning to fringe elements he said We cannot accept violence against any religion on any pretext and I strongly condemn such violence My government will act strongly in this regardNoting that the world is increasingly witnessing division and hostility on religious lines and the issue has become a matter of global concern the Prime Minister said the ancient Indian plea of mutual respect for all faiths is now beginning to manifest in global discourseObserving that the world is at crossroads he said if not crossed properly it can throw us back to the dark days of bigotry fanaticism and bloodshed He further said that this harmonious convergence among religions could not be achieved even when the world entered the third millenniumInvoking Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi Modi said that equal respect for all religions must be in the DNA of every Indian Seeking harmony the Prime Minister appealed to all religious groups to act with restraint mutual respect and tolerance in the true spirit of the ancient nation which is manifest in the Constitution and in line with the Hague DeclarationModis remarks have come after US President Barack Obama said the acts of intolerance experienced by religious faiths of all types in India in the past few years would have shocked Mahatma GandhiThe Prime Minister said the world is increasingly witnessing division and hostility on religious lines This has become a matter of global concern In this context the ancient Indian plea of mutual respect for all faiths is now beginning to manifest in global discourse he saidModi said the longfelt need and urge for mutually respectful relations led to the interfaith conference on Faith in Human Rights at the Hague in December 2008 In their historic declaration they defined what constitutes freedom of faith and how it is to besafeguardedspeaking for India and for my government I declare that my government stands by every word of the above declaration My government will ensure that there is complete freedom of faith and that everyone has the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence he told the gatheringReferring to his development mantra of sabka saath sabka vikas Modi said in simple terms it means food on every table every child in school a job for everybody and a house with toilet and electricity for every familyThis will make India proud We can achieve this through unity Unity strengthens us Division weakens us I sincerely request all Indians and all of you present here to support me in this huge task Modi saidSpeaking on the occasion Finance Minister Arun Jaitley referred to the recent incidents of attacks on churches in Delhi He said these are unacceptable aberrations He said the guilty will be brought to book and there is no space in India for such peopleHe said while the state detached itself from religion it allowed religion to be professed followed and to be propagatedRajya Sabha Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the incidents of attacks are aberrations and will be dealt with seriously by the government He recalled that Hindu rulers in Kerala had helped Christianity prosper in the state by offering them land for churchesArchbishops Andrew Thazah and Anil Couto while addressing the gathering expressed concern on attacks on churches and hoped the government will take appropriate steps Thazah said missionary schools have not focused on conversions but education He said BJP veteran L K Advani and HRD Minister Smriti Irani are products of such institutions