Politics in returning awards: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Kolkata, Dec 19: Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today said that it is wrong to term some criminal activities as acts of religious intolerance and stressed that there is politics in the returning of awards. "Politics is noticed clearly in both taking and returning awards.

That is why I have already refused to take any awards," Shankar told reporters here when asked about returning of awards by several eminent personalities to protest against the alleged rising intolerance in the country. The Art of Living founder said that crime has been taking place in the country both in the past as well as the present.

"But to call the entire country's people intolerant for some criminal acts would be wrong. I think it should be called criminal acts and the guilty should be punished," he said. Asked to comment on whether the ongoing intolerance debate is politically motivated, his cryptic answer was "You are the best judge". He also appealed to people to not to mix politics with religion. "Keep religion away from politics. Both are very important but they should not be mixed with each other.

Politics should be guided by spirituality. "We must spiritualise politics, secularise religion and socialise business," he said, adding, religion should be made more secular and broadbased so that terrorism "cannot take over this world".

PTI