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2 speeches, 1 message: PM Modi, Prez Mukherjee talk law, order and a corruption-free India

President Pranab Mukherjee and PM Narendra Modi gave a message that was loud and clear.

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President Pranab Mukherjee addressing an audience in New Delhi on Saturday; (Right) PM Narendra Modi at the Foundation Day of ICAI in New Delhi on Saturday
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Be vigilant, but shun vigilantism: President

With lynch mobs, especially those killing in the name of cow protection, refusing to put a stop to their activities even after the Prime Minister has stated that killing of people by cow vigilantes was unacceptable, President Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday warned that when mob frenzy becomes "high, irrational and uncontrollable", citizens must "pause and reflect".

Without referring to any specific incident, the President asked, "Are we vigilant enough to save the basic tenets of our time?"

"When we read in the newspaper or see on the television screen that an individual is being lynched because of some alleged violation of law or not. When mob frenzy becomes so high and irrational, uncontrollable, we have to pause and reflect. Are we vigilant enough? I am not talking of vigilantism. I am talking of are we vigilant enough, proactively, to save the basic tenets of our country. Because we can't afford not to do that. Posterity will demand an explanation from us that what have you done," he said.

The President was speaking at the release of the commemorative publication of National Herald newspaper here in the presence of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

On June 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had warned, "Killing people in the name of Gau Bhakti is not acceptable... No person has the right to take the law in his or her own hands in this country".

Mukherjee asked the media to remain constantly vigilant, saying it is how a democracy survives.

"You must rise to preserve and ensure human dignity is maintained, slavery is kept away. You will have to maintain your vigilance," he added.

If the CAs decide, there won’t be corruption: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday warned people who are abetting black money, saying "Those who have looted the poor will have to give back what they have looted".

PM Modi's attack on financial manipulators came during his inaugural address on the Foundation Day function of Chartered Accountants' apex body ICAI, which also happened to be the first day of implementation of the pathbreaking nationwide Goods and Services Tax.

Sending a strong message to India Inc, too, the Prime Minister said the government is taking a tough stand against those who have looted the nation. "We will crack down on companies that break the law," PM said.

He also called upon the profession to introspect. "Do you think that no more than 25 CAs would have indulged in corruption? What is the reason that in the past 11 years there has been action against only 25 CAs? ... If the Chartered Accountant becomes decisive, then no one will be able to indulge in corruption."

He revealed that over 1 lakh companies and more than 37,000 shell firms had been identified so for. "Data mining to track the black money began on November 8, when demonetisation was announced. We have not made this data public or questioned anyone yet. But we found as many as 3 lakh registered companies whose activities came under suspicion," he said.

PM Modi says that the chartered accountants' community looks after the economic health of the society and that they are the rishi-muni (sages) of India, going so far as to say that "The signature of a Chartered Accountant is more important than the signature of the Prime Minister."

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