To-day we add another statue and another portrait to the galleries of great men that adorn this temple of Indian democracy.  They remind us of the glorious days gone by when they struggled for our freedom and independence, and after attaining it strove hard to build up a just and democratic social order for our people.  These statues and portraits will look down upon generations of parliamentarians to come blessing their efforts for the nation and reminding them of the standards to be upheld in all their endeavours.

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was a glittering star in that galaxy of great men who led India through a long and arduous struggle to its destined goal of freedom and independence.  He was a remarkable personality who combined in himself tradition and modernity, deep religious faith and a broad rationalism, intense Indian nationalism and an enlightened Islamic world outlook.  As Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru remarked, "He was a strange mixture of medieval scholasticism, eighteenth century rationalism and the modern outlook".  The sacrifices he made for India were immense and poignant.  They are too well-known to be recounted to-day.  But his deep religious faith, his vision of India and his love for his country are profoundly pertinent to the present and the future of India.  He declared once "I am a Muslim and proud of being one.  Thirteen hundred years of its tradition are my heritage.  I am not prepared to waste its tiniest part."  But he added "The spirit of Islam does not stop me.  It is in fact my guide along the path.  With pride I feel I am an Indian.  I am a particle of the indivisible Indian nationalism....  I will never relinquish this belief of mine."

It was this deep-seated belief that the Maulana spelt out when he was elected as the President of the Indian National Congress in 1940.  What he said on that occasion is of utmost relevance to-day and in the future that it merits being quoted fully.  He said:  "Eleven hundred years of common history (between Hindus and Muslims) have enriched India with our common achievements.  Our language, our poetry, our literature, our culture, our art, our dress, our manners and customs, the innumerable happenings of our daily life, everything bears the stamp of our joint endeavour.  There is indeed no aspect of life which has escaped this stamp.  Our languages were different, but we grew to use a common language, our manners and customs were dissimilar, but they acted and reacted on each other and thus produced a new synthesis.  This joint wealth is the heritage of our common nationality ....  If there are any Hindus amongst us who desire to bring back the Hindu life of a thousand years ago and more, they dream and such dreams are vain fantasies.  So also if there are any Muslims who wish to revive their past civilization and culture which they brought a thousand years ago from Iran and Central Asia, they dream also and the sooner they wake up the better.  These are unnatural fancies which cannot take root in the soil of reality ....  This thousand years of our joint life has moulded us into a common destiny  .....  The cast has now been moulded and destiny has set her seal upon it."  In these words the  Maulana had spoken for his times and for all time to come.  It is this man of vision and acute realism, of whom Nehru said he had "a mind as keen as razor's edge" and of "strong common sense" with "a vast fund of knowledge", that we are remembering and honouring to-day.