VP Radhakrishnan Calls for National Unity to Protect Diverse Cultures

India's unity as a large nation is essential to protecting its diverse cultures, including Tamil, Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan has said, calling upon students to uphold nationalism and the spirit of patriotism.

Addressing the platinum jubilee celebrations of his alma mater, V.O. Chidambaram College, here on Wednesday, he recalled his opposition to the Emergency as a student and his differences with freedom fighter A.P.C. Veerabahu, the college's



founder correspondent. 

Veerabahu, a staunch Congress leader, had supported the Emergency, while Radhakrishnan had opposed it. Despite their differences, he said, he continued to hold Veerabahu in high regard as a great nationalist.

Recalling how he had unexpectedly spoken against the Emergency at a Rotaract meeting on the college premises, Radhakrishnan said the police subsequently entered the campus, but he managed to escape.