Patriotism should not lead to “blinkered approaches” to interpreting history or a “compromise with truth” merely to justify an argument, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Thursday. Inaugurating the 77th session of the Indian History Congress in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, he said people must be open to considering “a range of different inferences or assumptions”, which can help curb intolerance.

“There has been an unfortunate tendency in our country...to take umbrage at the expression of any view perceived to be hostile to our social or cultural institutions,” he said. “The freedom to doubt, disagree and dispute intellectually must be protected as an essential pillar of one democracy.”

The president also highlighted incidents wherein criticism of national icons from the past had been met with “hostility and sometimes even violence”, emphasising that such freedom was “vital for progress in any field”. Mukherjee also urged historians to remain objective in their work, warning against “the intrusion of personal prejudice into historical interpretation”.

“It is my firm conviction that India’s pluralism and social, cultural, linguistic and religious diversity are our greatest strength,” the president added at the event was hosted by the state government and the University of Kerala. “Our traditions have always celebrated the ‘argumentative’ Indian, not the ‘intolerant’ Indian.”