#Every #person #has #the #right #to #practice #their #religion #and #beliefs #and #not #practice it if they choose so #without #any #persecution, - Barack Obama Value Religious Tolerance and Freedom: US President Barack Obamas Parting Shot to India - ndtv/article/india/value-religious-tolerance-and-freedom-us-president-barack-obama-s-parting-shot-to-india-654177?via=whatsapp (Sent via NDTV) New Delhi: US President BarackObama.IR made a strong appeal for Religious freedom at a town hall-style meeting in Delhi on Tuesday, weighing in on one of Indias most controversial topics as he wound up a three-day visit. India will succeed as long as its not splintered along religious lines...nowhere is it more important to uphold religious freedom than in India, President Obama said while addressing 2,000 young people at the Siri Fort auditorium. Your Article 25 (of The Indian Constitution) says that all people are equally entitled to freedom of conscience and the right freely to profess, practice and propagate religion, President Obama said, adding, In both our countries, in all countries, upholding this fundamental freedom is the responsibility of government, but its also the responsibility of every person. The US Presidents remarks are significant at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modis government has been accused by rival political parties of not checking pro-Hindu activists and groups seen to have been emboldened by the BJPs rise to power in May last year. PM Modi had last year warned lawmakers from his party against making provocative statements seen to divert attention from his governments agenda of economic reforms. President Obama in his speech referenced his own experience as a minority in America.There were moments in my life where Ive been treated differently because of the colour of my skin...There have been times where my faith has at times been questioned by people who dont know me, or theyve said that I adhere to a different religion, as if that were somehow a bad thing, he said, noting persistent rumours that he is a Muslim, not a Christian. #Every #person #has #the #right #to #practice #their #religion #and #beliefs #and #not #practice it if they choose so without any persecution, he added. US President Barack Obama speaks at a town hall event at Siri Fort Auditorium.(Associated Press)During his visit, President Obama bonded warmly with PM Modi, who was banned for nearly a decade from visiting the US after the 2002 riots in Gujarat, the state he ruled for 13 years till he took over as Prime Minister last year. The US Presidents 40-minute speech today had more than one Hindi phrase. His audience cheered in delight when he borrowed a Shah Rukh Khan dialogue from the blockbuster film Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge - Senorita...bade bade deshon mein...you know what I mean. Mr Obama, the first US president to be chief guest at Indias Republic Day parade, described the relationship between India and the US as potentially one of the defining partnerships of the century. Story first published: Jan 27, 2015 11:41 IST
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 12:31:51 +0000
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