India is a Pluralistic Society, Says Vice President Hamid Ansari in Bali

BALI:  Amidst the ongoing debate back home on intolerance, Vice President Hamid Ansari today said India is a pluralistic society and there are constitutional guarantees to ensure diversity and a secular state that shows equal respect for all faiths and religions. He also said that India is a country where every effort is made to allow all different versions of what constitutes Indian culture to prosper and express itself. There is no attempt to "homogenise" culture, he told the students at Udayana University where he also unveiled a bust of Mahatama Gandhi. "India is a pluralistic society. Plurality is a reality and we make sure that our state shall be secular or in other words, have equal respect for all faiths or religions. "There are guarantees in the constitution which ensures that this is done in practice. This is the way we implement our diversity," Mr Ansari, currently on a visit to Indonesia, said. He was replying to questions at an interactive session after his speech when he was asked how India managed its plurality.   PTI