PM interview: Ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi outrightly rejected the objections raised by Pakistan and China for holding meetings in Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh and asserted it was natural to hold meetings 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,” PM Modi said in an exclusive interview with the news agency PTI.
A G20 meeting was held at Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh on March 26 this year. China had skipped the meeting. Xi Jinping-led country does not recognise India's soveringity over Arunachal and claims that the state is a part of south Tibet.
China, a G20 member, and Pakistan, which is not a member of the bloc, had objected to the decision to hold one of the events in Kashmir, which they call "disputed".
India held the third G20 working group meeting on tourism for three days from May 22 in Srinagar. Delegates from all G20 countries, barring China, visited the picturesque Valley for the event. A large number of delegates had also visited Arunachal Pradesh in March for a G20 event. Dismissing Chinese claims, India had then said that it is free to hold meetings on its own territory.
PM Modi talks in detail about India's G20 Presidency
The Prime Minister reflected on the significance of the G20 Summit scheduled to be held on September 9 and 10 and said that there are several impacts from India’s Presidency of the global event are “close to his heart”.
“Many positive impacts from India's G20 Presidency, some very close to my heart,” he said.
“In G20, our words and vision are seen by the world as a roadmap for the future and not merely ideas,” he added.
The Prime Minister assured India's support in the efforts to ensure world peace irrespective of the G20 Presidency.
"Whether as G20 President or not, we will support every effort to ensure peace across the world. We will continue constructive contribution well past our G20 Presidency," he said.
PM Modi said that the G20 ministerial decisions taken across all domains will prove to be "pivotal" for the world's future.
He noted that his government's domestic approach to addressing the most backward and neglected people is also guiding India at the global level.
"The theme of India's G20 Presidency 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' is not just a slogan but a comprehensive philosophy derived from our cultural ethos. Once seen simply as a large market, India is now part of solutions to global challenges. India's G20 Presidency also sowed seeds of confidence in countries of the so-called third world," he said.
The Prime Minister advocated for Africa at G20 and said that there can be no future plan for Earth that can succeed without all voices being heard.
"Over 1.5 crore Indians were involved in year-long G20 programmes. Africa is a top priority for us in G20; no future plan of earth can succeed without all voices being heard," he said.
PM takes jibe at previous governments over centralisation
The Prime Minister took a jibe at the previous governments and said that there was an attitude of getting things done in the national capital and added that they lacked confidence in the people of different parts of the country.
"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. Our government changed the approach," he said.
"If you observe carefully, over the years, we trusted the people of every region. The 8th BRICS Summit happened in Goa. The 2nd FIPIC summit involving many Pacific Island nations happened in Jaipur. The Global Entrepreneurship Summit happened in Hyderabad. Similarly, we ensured that many foreign leaders who visited our country were hosted at various places across the country rather than just in Delhi. The same approach is continuing in the G20 too, albeit at a larger scale," he added.
Top three economy vow
PM Modi reiterated his vow to place India among the top three economies of the world in his next tenure.
“India will be in the top three economies of the world in the near future. Indians today have a great chance to lay the foundation for growth that will be remembered for the next thousand years. For long India was seen as a country of 1 billion hungry stomachs, now it is 1 billion aspirational minds, 2 billion skilled hands,” he said.
India's USD 3.39 trillion GDP overtook that of the UK in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022, making it the fifth-largest economy in the world behind the US, China, Japan and Germany.
The Prime Minister said that India will be a developed nation by 2047 and will have no place for corruption, casteism, and communalism.
“"With such momentum, I am positive that we will be in the top three economies in the near future. By 2047, I am sure that our country will be among the developed countries. Corruption, casteism and communalism will have no place in our national life. The quality of life of our people will be on par with the best countries in the world. Most importantly, we will achieve all of this while caring for both nature and culture. We have democracy, demography, and diversity and we have now added fourth 'D' i.e. development,” he said.
“'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' can also be a guiding principle for the welfare of the world,” he added.
PM Modi on inflation
Calling inflation a key issue the world is confronting at the moment, the Prime Minister said that India’s G20 Presidency suggested that anti-inflation policies in one country do not harm others.
He said that the framing of irresponsible financial policies may give short-term political results but are costly in the long term.
“Our G-20 Presidency engaged the G-20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors. It was recognised that timely and clear communication of policy stances by Central Banks is crucial. This can ensure that policies taken by each country to combat inflation do not lead to negative repercussions in other countries. The poorest and most vulnerable suffer the most from irresponsible financial policies and populism. Irresponsible financial policies, populism may give short-term political results but extract great social, economic price in long term,” he said.
He highlighted that the political stability which was provided by his government at the Centre since 2014 has led to “several reforms and growth is its natural by-product”.
PM on cyber terrorism
Prime Minister Modi cautioned on the issue of cyber threats and said that it has to be taken very seriously.
“Terrorists using darknet, metaverse, cryptocurrency to fulfill nefarious aims; can have implications for the social fabric of nations. Cyber threats must be taken very seriously; cyber terrorism, online radicalisation, and money laundering are just the tip of the iceberg. Cyberspace has introduced an entirely new dimension to the battle against illicit financial activities and terrorism. Global cooperation in fighting cyber crimes is not just desirable but inevitable,” he said.
“PM Modi says need to achieve a comprehensive international convention on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes. Fake news and deep fakes can cause chaos and loss of credibility of news sources, can be used to fuel social unrest,” PM Modi added.
PM on Russia-Ukraine war
The Prime Minister once again emphasised on dialogue and diplomacy as the “only way” to resolve different conflicts in different regions.
Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a telephonic conversation with PM Modi, informed him that he would not be able to attend the G20 Summit in person as he has to focus on a "special military operation" in Ukraine.
(With PTI inputs)
