Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday that tolerance is genetically ingrained in the blood of Indians and the intellectual class should avoid generalising "stray incidents" as it may “bring disgrace to the country". Referring to the “new trend” of writers returning their literary awards over growing intolerance in the country, Naidu said that intellectuals may condemn unfortunate incidents such as the Dadri lynching, but they should keep the country's image in mind while doing so. The union minister for urban development added that “India is the only country in this world where tolerance is observed”. Naidu also advised writers to be constructive while criticising the central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.