Inciting people in name of religion is betrayal of religion: PM

New Delhi, Apr 21 (UNI) Cautioning people against the designs of communal forces trying to tear apart India's ''fine fabric of composite culture'', Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said any political formation trying to incite people in the name of religion was betraying religion and the country's civilisation.

''Attempts to divide society along religious lines deserve to be condemned with contempt,'' Dr Singh observed.

The Prime Minister was inaugurating the South Asian Inter-Faith Harmony Conclave organised by the Inter Faith Harmony Foundation of India in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

''Your mission gains urgency at a time when the forces of bigotry and communalism are trying to tear apart this fine fabric of our composite culture,'' he said, lauding the organisers of the conclave. Dr Singh said what was worse than religious intolerance was the deployment of such intolerance for narrow political gain. ''Any political formation trying to incite people in the name of religion, whatever religion, is in fact betraying both religion and our civilisation.'' Evoking the memories of Swami Vivekananda's famous speech at the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he said ''Swamiji spoke of our civilisational tradition of accepting the greatness of all religions. He said very aptly, 'We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true.''' Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, ICCR Prsident Karan Singh and Director General Pawan Verma, and religious leaders from various faiths from the SAARC countries were among the dignitaries present at the Conclave.

People in India, he said, must learn from the wisdom of their great teachers and social and political leaders like Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawahar Lal Nehru, to ''preserve and nurture this great quality of our ancient but living civilization.''.

Dr Singh said India had been home to all the great religions of the world and would always remain so, but it was necessary for each generation to re-affirm its commitment to these values of co-existence and celebration of diversity.

Describing Swami Vivekanand xxx Eds. here picking up from para seven of DI 11, PM-INTER-FAITH-CONCLAVE.

UNI