Kozhikode: Emphasising the need for maintaining communal harmony, Defence Minister A K Antony on Tuesday said religion and faith should be treated as a personal matter.
"People and religious leaders should maintain utmost restraint in the event of any clash so that no one becomes a victim of communal violence," Antony said.
He also stressed on the need for maintaining communal harmony to ensure lasting peace in the country while inaugurating the centenary celebrations of consecration of Lord Shiva idol at the Sreekanteshwara temple here by Kerala's renowned social reformer Sree Narayana Guru in May 1910.
Asking people not to fight in the name of religion, he said "principles propagated by the Guru against religious and social dogmas prevailing during the early 19th century hold great relevance even today as Kerala remained a role model state in maintaining communal harmony."
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 03, 2009, 16:14