A Culture Ministry official said on Saturday that the Ministry represented aspirations of all sections of society and did not believe in silencing any ideology, a day after a tweet by the Ministry’s official handle paying tribute to Hindutva ideologue M.S. Golwalkar stirred controversy.
The Ministry had tweeted a photo of Golwalkar on Friday, his birth anniversary, accompanied by the text: “Remembering a great thinker, scholar, and remarkable leader #MSGolwalkar on his birth anniversary. His thoughts will remain a source of inspiration & continue to guide generations.”
Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, had criticised the Ministry for the tweet.
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The media advisor to Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, Nitin Tripathi, said in a tweet on Saturday: “India is most culturally diverse nation in the world and an epitome of multiculturalism. Ministry of Culture represents the aspirations of every section of society and do not believe in silencing any ideologies or voices which is not the part of traditional narrative.”
In a second tweet, Mr Tripathi said, “Distinctive socio-cultural traits, customs, traditions and sets of values must be respected at all cost and this has been one of the essential elements of the democracy like India since ages.”