“This Nation Is Secular By Culture”: Gadkari On Sanatan Values

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari attended the release of the book Sanatan Sanskriti Ki Atal Drishti, recalling Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s firm belief in secularism. Gadkari said Indian culture, rooted in Sanatan and Hindu traditions, is inherently inclusive and universal, guided by the idea of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”. Quoting Swami Vivekananda, he stressed respect for all faiths and paths to the divine. Gadkari argued that Hindutva represents cultural nationalism, not exclusion, and called for learning from historical mistakes to guide India’s future, emphasising that Indian civilisation has always sought global welfare, not dominance.