Some people in India allergic to word Hindu: Venkaiah Naidu

Speaking at a function in Chennai, the Vice President said that some people in India are allergic to the word Hindu, and although this is not correct, they still have the right to hold such a view.

Chennai (TN): Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday said some people in India are allergic to the word Hindu.

He also said the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) provides for Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Speaking at a function here to mark the centenary of the Tamil monthly Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam brought out by Sri Ramakrishna Math and also the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, Naidu said that some people in India are allergic to the word Hindu, and although this is not correct, they still have the right to hold such a view.

Naidu said secularism does not mean insulting other religions, while the secular culture is a part of the Indian ethos.

He said the country has always provided shelter for persecuted people.

Naidu said Swami Vivekananda was a social reformer and introduced Hinduism to the West.

Vice President Naidu also noted that Swami Vivekananda had said he is from the nation that gave shelter to refugees and persecuted from different nations.

Referring to the CAA, Naidu said India is now ready to accept persecuted people, while some elements are creating a controversy around it.

India has been respecting all religions - "sarvadharma samabhava" - since long, even before the Constitution was drafted, and "care and share" was the core principle of the Indian way of life, he added.