India has a strong democracy, says Bhardwaj

BANGALORE: India has a strong democracy, said Governor H R Bhardwaj adding, “Internal factors are the weaknesses in this country and not external ones.” Speaking at the inauguration of a three-day international conference on ‘Power of Media in a Globalising World’, he said that while the Constitution gives people the power in our democracy, people must not forget that the Parliament is supreme.“I respect Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He is a secular man,” he said.He further added that every religion should be respected in the country. He also said that youth belonging to minority communities are suffering because religious minorities have been suppressed in the past.He remarked that people have the capacity to change the situation. “We are followers of Gandhi, not Ghodse”, he said.Lamenting the loss of the culture and tradition of Urdu language, Governor Bhardwaj said that the language has a common heritage with the country and it needs to be preserved.The three day conference is organized by the Institute of Objective Studies (IOS) as part of its Golden Jubilee Celebrations. IOS also conferred the Lifetime Achievement Award to Prof. B. Shaikh Ali, Former Vice- Chancellor of Karnataka and Goa University. Governor H.R.Bharadwaj also released a film on the Professor.