New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended 28th National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Foundation day programme today through video conference on Tuesday.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister remarked that India’s freedom movement and its history has been a great source of inspiration for human rights and the values ​​of human rights for India. 

“As a nation, as a society we resisted injustice-atrocities, we fought for our rights for centuries. At a time when the whole world was engulfed in the violence of World War I, India suggested the path of 'rights and non-violence' to the whole world. Not only India but the whole world sees our Bapu as a symbol of human rights and human values”, said the Prime Minister remembering Mahatma Gandhi. 

Even when, on many occasions, the world was disillusioned and confused, India remained steadfast and sensitive towards human rights, he added.

The Prime Minister said that the concept of human rights is closely related to the dignity of the poor. He said when the poorest of the poor does not get an equal share of the government schemes then the question of rights arises. 

He  cautioned against the selective interpretation of human rights and using human rights to diminish the image of the country. He said of late, some people have started interpreting human rights from their own angle as per their selfish interests. Tendency to see infringement in one situation and not in a similar situation has damaged human rights a great deal, he said. He also said that the biggest infringement of human rights takes place when they are seen from the prism of politics and political profit and loss.

 “This selective behaviour is equally damaging for democracy too”, cautioned the Prime Minister.