I was in Cambodia just recently. It is the Kamboj state
of the past, where magnificent temples that kissed the sky were built in
the 10th and the 11th centuries. It had Hindu states ruled by Hindu kings.
There were others too among the citizens, but there was justice towards
all. Sometimes the kings also used to fight among themselves. The wheel of
victory and defeat rolled on. But during their centuries’ long history
there isn’t a single instance of a Hindu king destroying temples or
breaking idols when he attacked another Hindu king. The kings who were
victorious used to build a new temple. If Vishnu was being worshipped
there earlier, later Shiva began to be worshipped. If Shiva was being
worshipped at one time, then other deities began to be worshipped later.
Nevertheless, no king destroyed a temple or damaged the deities’ idols at
the time of attacking another king.
This is our culture. This is our outlook, which treats
all faiths equally. Yet, accusations are being hurled today that
secularism is under threat. Who are these people accusing us? What is the
meaning of secularism for these people? India was secular even when
Muslims hadn’t come here and Christians hadn’t set foot on this soil. It
is not as if India became secular after they came. They came with their
own modes of worship and they too were given a place of honor and respect.
They had the freedom to worship God as per their wish and inclination. No
one thought of converting them with force, because this is not practised
in our religion; and in our culture, there is no use for it.
Today the 100 crore people of India are engaged in
creating their future on the basis of their own culture. Sometimes, minor
incidents do take place here and there; sometimes these take the form of
major incidents. But if you go to the root of these incidents, you will
find intolerance, you’ll find them to be a manifestation of growing
intolerance.
What happened in Gujarat? If a conspiracy had not been
hatched to burn alive the innocent passengers of the Sabarmati Express,
then the subsequent tragedy in Gujarat could have been averted. But this
did not happen. People were torched alive. Who were those culprits? The
Government is investigating into this. Intelligence agencies are
collecting all the information. But we should not forget how the tragedy
of Gujarat started. The subsequent developments were no doubt condemnable,
but who lit the fire? How did the fire spread? Ours is a multi-religious
country, a multi-lingual country, we have many different modes of worship.
We believe in peaceful and harmonious co-existence. We believe in equal
respect for all faiths. Let no one challenge India’s secularism. I have
read somewhere in newspapers that the Congress Party has decided not to
try to topple my Government. Shall I thank them for this? Or shall I say
that the ‘‘Grapes are sour’’? How will the Government fall? Once they did
topple it, but they couldn’t form one themselves. Then a fresh mandate
from the people was called for, and the people once again gave us an
opportunity to serve them.
For us, the soil of India from Goa to Guwahati is the
same, all the people living on this land are the same. We do not believe
in religious extremism. Today the threat to our nation comes from
terrorism. Wherever I went around the world, the heads of state or of
elected governments complained to me that militant Islam is sowing thorns
along their paths. Islam has two facets. One is that which tolerates
others, which teaches its adherents to follow the path of truth, which
preaches compassion and sensitivity. But these days, militancy in the name
of Islam leaves no room for tolerance. It has raised the slogan of Jehad.
It is dreaming of recasting the entire world in its mould.
You will be surprised to hear this — indeed, I too was
surprised — that some terrorists belonging to Al-Qaeda were arrested in
Singapore. The rulers of Singapore couldn’t even have imagined that Al-Qaeda
would be active in their country, too; that Al-Qaeda would hatch a
conspiracy in Singapore too. Some 15 or 16 persons were arrested; an
investigation is underway, which will reveal the truth. The same is
happening in Indonesia. The same is happening in Malaysia. Wherever such
Muslims live, they tend not to live in co-existence with others, not to
mingle with others; and instead of propagating their ideas in a peaceful
manner, they want to spread their faith by resorting to terror and
threats. The world has become alert to this danger.
As far as we are concerned, we have been fighting
against terrorism for the past 20 years. Terrorists have tried to grab
Jammu and Kashmir through violence, but we have countered them. Jammu and
Kashmir is an integral part of India, and will forever remain so. No other
country’s dream will ever come true. Now other nations in the world have
started to realize what a great mistake they did by neglecting terrorism.
Now they are waking up, and are organising themselves. They are putting
together an international consensus against terrorism.
We tell them through our own example that a large
number of non-Hindus live in our country, but there has never ever been
religious persecution here. We have never discriminated between ‘‘our
people’’ and ‘‘aliens’’. The modes of worship may differ, but God is one.
Only the paths to reach Him and realize Him can be different. It is for
this reason that India’s prestige is growing, India’s reputation is
rising. I have also had an occasion to visit many other countries.
Everywhere Muslims live in large numbers. And the rulers in those
countries are worried lest those Muslims embrace extremism. We told them
that they should educate people on the true tenets of Islam, that they
should teach science in madrasas, and that they should also teach other
subjects in madrasas. Islam too should be taught, but emphasize that
people should live together and that that it is necessary to accept that
faith cannot be propagated on the strength of the sword.
Our Government has completed two-and-a-half years. We
have tried to change the face of our country. In a country, which once had
a scarcity of foodgrains, which used to import foodgrains to feed its
people, in that very same country we have created a situation wherein,
thanks to our toiling kisans, a day has come when we export foodgrains to
other countries and feed the stomachs of their citizens.
We have large foreign exchange reserves. We are
progressing in science and technology. Our young men and women are
excelling in global competition. Even in the midst of an economic
recession, India is progressing, India is marching ahead. When taxes are
imposed in the budget, it is bound to create some difficulties, but in
turn, we are fulfilling many needs of our people. We have taken up such
works and projects that were never touched in the past. We want to create
world-class national highways of four lanes that link the North to the
South and the East to the West, and on which there can be obstruction-free
traffic. Work has already begun on this massive National Highway
Development Project covering 13,000 kilometers. We will spend 60,000 crore
rupees on this project. We want to build a network of good roads all over
the country.
We have also prepared programmes and projects for the
development of Goa. There is a proposal to link Goa to the Goden
Quadrilateral part of the National Highway Development Project. I wish to
assure you that we shall do everything possible to implement this
proposal. For this, the National Highway No. 17 will be widened to four
lanes. We shall see to it that this proposal goes ahead.
When I had come here last time, I had spoken about
improving the sewerage system along the coastal belt of Goa. Beach tourism
is adversely affected by this. It is very necessary that the sewerage
system is improved along the coastal belt if we want that tourists come
here. Nature has made Goa very beautiful. It has a sea coast. Goa is an
enchanting place. Tourists wish to come here in large numbers. However, we
need to create better facilities for them. The State Government is making
efforts in this direction. I wish to assure the State Government that
wherever Central assistance is needed, we shall provide such assistance in
required quantity.
Goa is also paying attention to the development of
roads. We are trying to build roads to connect all the unconnected
villages. Goa does not have unconnected villages and hilly regions, but it
has a large, well-spread out area. It is necessary to link it with good
roads and to make communication smooth. The problem of water is growing in
North Goa. Pollution too is becoming a serious problem. If any project to
tackle these problems comes before the Government, we shall provide
assistance to them and contribute to their completion. Goa will once again
pass through a trial. The Goa Government acted on its own to dissolve
itself. This showed that those who were running the Government in Goa had
no lust for power. When they realized that the atmosphere had got
polluted, that party-hopping had started, and that they were not in a
position to serve the people, then our friends dissolved the Legislative
Assembly in Goa.
Now a new Assembly will be elected. It will be elected with your votes.
It will be elected with your choice. You elect such a new Government that
will be stable, that will be free of corruption, and that will open up new
avenues for Goa’s progress. The forthcoming election will give you an
opportunity to do so. If necessary, we in Delhi shall mobilize resources
for your development. At the very least, we shall certainly send you our
best wishes.