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| India-Pakistan |
| Those who shelter terrorists can’t be spared: PM |
| 2016-10-12 |
| [Daily Excelsior] Breaking from tradition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today attended the historic Ramlila celebrations here where he launched a veiled attack on Pakistain, saying those who help and provide shelter to forces of Evil cannot be spared, but made no reference to the surgical strikes. Making terrorism the centrepoint of his over 20-minute speech, he said terror was the worst enemy of humanity and called upon the world community to speak in one voice against the menace to put an end to it. "Terrorism does not have any boundaries. It is bound to destroy all...A need has arisen to root out those who spread terrorism. Those who help forces of Evil and provide shelter to them can no longer be spared," he said in an obvious reference to Pakistain without taking its name. "Terrorism is against humanity. The entire world is being destroyed...If you think that we are insulated against terrorism, then we are wrong. It is a virus affecting our societies. All forces across the world have to talk in one voice and end it. It will not be possible to save humanity without eradicating terrorism," the Prime Minister said. "The forces of humanism should unite globally to end the menace," he said. Modi became the first Prime Minister to attend a Ramlila event outside Delhi and his participation at the Aishbagh celebrations assumes significance in the context of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh early next year. The theme of this year’s Dussehra here was ’destruction of terrorism’. In the run up to the event today, there have been many references to the surgical strikes by characters enacting Ramlila. In significant gestures, Modi was presented a Sudarshan Chakra, bow and arrow and a mace at the event, symbolising valour. At the Delhi event at Ramlila Maidan, as usual, President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi were present. "No one should have this misunderstanding that they are safe from terrorism as terrorism has no boundary, no morality, it can go anywhere and it is bent upon crushing humanity...It is essential for all to come together against terrorism," Modi said. "The entire world is being harmed. For the last two days we are seeing the picture of a little girl of Syria....And so today, when we are buring Ravana, all human forces as one will have to resolve to fight terrorism as humanity cannot be saved without bringing an end to it," he said. Modi recalled his meeting with a top US official who had then not recognised terrorism as a problem and had instead termed it as a law and order issue. He said the world’s perspective towards terrorism changed after 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He also urged the people to remain vigilant against terrorists, saying their attempts to carry out attacks can be thwarted by alert citizens. While celebrating Dussehra, which signifies victory of good over evil, the Prime Minister said Lord Rama represented humanity and its rich values and traditions. He said the first person to fight terror was neither a soldier nor a politician, but the mythological bird Jatayu who fought against Ravana to protect a helpless Sita, whom he was trying to kidnap. Noting that war at times becomes inevitable due to prevailing circumstances, he said India is a country which follows the principles of peace as taught by Lord Buddha. "We balance between the Mohan of the Sudarshan Chakra, and the Mohan of the Charkha (Mahatma Gandhi)...We are the people who have seen yudhh (war) and Buddha. We can go from yudh to Buddha. Buddha’s path (of peace) should be our final path," he said. Terming castiesm, communalism and nepotism as the forms of social evils present inside people, he said and there is a need to get rid of these ’Ravanas’. Modi said on one side the country was celebrating Vijay Dashmi and on the other the world was observing the day of the girl child today and called upon people to end the menace of female infanticide and feoticide. |
| Posted by:Fred |