Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today described Pakistan’s handling of Shri Kulbhushan Jadhav’s meeting with his family members as inhuman and it has hurt the sentiments of Indians. He said so while interacting with 17 member faculty and students from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT of the USA.
During the 40 minute interaction, Shri Naidu elaborated and responded to queries on India’s strengths, opportunities, and challenges besides its emergence as a global power.
Shri Naidu said that India seeks peace in the region for the benefit of all the countries but some are adopting a different approach. He noted that Pakistani authorities insisting on the removal of ‘mangalsutra’ by the wife of Shri Kulbhushan Jadhav and other restrictions did not go well with the people of India and Pakistan did not do any good for itself in this regard even as it sought to showcase its gesture by allowing the family union to the world.
The Vice President noted that the Indian voters have shown great maturity from time to time while casting their vote as was evident in their fierce defense of personal freedoms by voting against the ‘Emergency’ in 1977. He observed that after long years of single-party rule at the Centre, India transited through coalition governments till the people gave an absolute majority to the present Government in 2014. “India faces the challenges of inequality, rural-urban divide, unemployment, border issues, poverty, and illiteracy. The ruling and opposition parties need to work together with shared perspectives for further strengthening parliamentary democracy” Shri Naidu noted.
He stated that the mood of the young and aspirational India is in favour of ‘development and reforms’ and the Government has taken several initiatives in this regard. This was evident in the introduction of GST and demonetisation, Shri Naidu said.
Responding to a query on India’s role in global politics vis-a-vis some leading countries, Shri Naidu stated that as one of the oldest civilisations which accounted for 27% of world’s GDP before foreign invasions, India never believed in hegemony and only would like to harness its potential as an economic power-house that benefits the people of India and other countries as well. India would like to take full advantage of its huge manpower through necessary skill upgradation and empowerment, he said.
