Country should not be divided over religion: Former Union minister Shivraj Patil

India may have many religions but birth, thirst and hunger are the same for people irrespective of the faith they follow, said former Union home minister Shivraj Patil on Sunday, stressing that the country should not be divided on the basis of religion.Patil said religion is a knowledge that unites people.

India may have many religions but birth, thirst and hunger are the same for people irrespective of the faith they follow, said former Union home minister Shivraj Patil on Sunday, stressing that the country should not be divided on the basis of religion.

Patil said religion is a knowledge that unites people. “If we impart this thought to everyone, we will get good strength,” he said during an address at an event here to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the ‘Marathwada Liberation Day’. Latur is a part of the eight-district Marathwada region, which was once under the Nizam-ruled Hyderabad kingdom.

Britishers and Mughals ruled over India for centuries, but the country’s forefathers strived to keep it united, he said. “While there are many religions in the country, we have kept alive the spirit that we are united. Earlier food grains had to be brought from America but today India has become self-reliant and supplies food grains to its people and exports to foreign countries,” he added.