New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rejected Pakistan and China’s objections on holding G20 meetings in Jammu & Kashmir.
In an exclusive interview with PTI, the PM said it’s only natural that meetings will be held in every part of the country.
“Such a question would be valid if we had refrained from conducting meetings in those venues. Ours is such a vast, beautiful and diverse nation… When G20 meetings are happening, isn’t it natural that meetings will be held in every part of our country,” he reasoned.
The PM remarked that by the time India’s G20 presidency term ends, over 220 meetings would have taken place across 60 cities in all 28 states and eight Union territories, with over one lakh participants from around 125 nationalities.
Srinagar hosted the G20 Tourism Working Group meeting in May, which was opposed by Pakistan which claimed that such a decision was to perpetuate India’s “illegal occupation” of Jammu & Kashmir.
China stayed away from the Srinagar meet as it was being held in ‘disputed territory’.
Speaking on India’s G20 presidency, Modi linked it to the government’s efforts in fighting the pandemic, human-centric development approach and vaccination drive.
“Looking at India’s experience, it was recognised that a human-centric approach works even during a crisis. India’s response to the pandemic through a clear and coordinated approach, direct assistance to the most vulnerable using technology, coming up with vaccines and running the world’s largest vaccine drive, and sharing medicines and vaccines with nearly 150 countries – were noted and well appreciated,” he said.
“By the time India became the president of G20, our words and vision for the world were not being taken merely as ideas but as a roadmap for the future,” Modi added.
Modi articulated on several other issues, including India’s growth and development.
Asserting that India will become a developed nation by 2047, the Prime Minister said there will be no place for corruption, casteism and communalism when the country celebrates 100 years of Independence.
He also indulged in Opposition bashing, stating that the previous UPA government did not have faith in India’s abilities.
“Unfortunately, in the past, there used to be an attitude of getting things done right here in Delhi, in and around Vigyan Bhavan. Perhaps because it was an easy way out. Or perhaps because those in power lacked confidence in the people of different parts of the country to successfully execute plans of such scale,” he said.
Flagging debt crisis as a matter of great concern for the world, Modi also repeated his call for reforms in the United Nations.
“Today’s world is a multipolar world where institutions are extremely important for a rules-based order that is fair and sensitive to all concerns. However, institutions can retain relevance only when they change with the times,” Modi said.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, he reiterated Indian government’s stand that dialogue and diplomacy are the only ways to resolve conflicts in different regions.
The PM shared the full transcript of the interview in a post on X.
Here is my interview with @PTI_News in which I share my thoughts on a wide range of issues, notably India’s G20 Presidency, our efforts to give voice to the Global South, the emphasis on human centric development and more. https://t.co/gZhDJGz5sU
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 3, 2023
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