PM Modi: Not hungry for anyone’s land

India has never attacked any country, nor has it ever coveted anyone’s territory, but has made supreme sacrifices fighting for others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

“India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for any territory. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 1.5 lakh Indian soldiers laid down their lives fighting for others,” Mr Modi said at the inaugural ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a modern complex for overseas Indians in New Delhi.

His statement came days after the Indian Army’s surgical strikes on terror launchpads across the Line of Control, and also in the backdrop of Pakistan’s constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue in international forums.

Mr Modi regretted the fact that despite the great price paid by Indians, India could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifices. He said whenever he went abroad, he made it a point to visit memorials for Indian soldiers. The PM said the Indian diaspora did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power abroad, but on the other hand they mingled with other communities.

Indians, the PM noted, lived abroad with the principle of “social well-being... They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per the need”.

Observing that the Indian diaspora should not be looked at in terms of numbers, but in terms of its strength, he said there were countries where the Indian community was much more powerful than Indian missions and could help to remove the “fear of the unknown” among the people there towards India.

While much has been spoken about the brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, “we can convert it into ‘brain gain’ for India,” Mr Modi said. Like dams channelise the energy of water to create electricity, a source is needed to utilise the energy of the 2.45-crore strong Indian diaspora to “light up India”, he was quoted by as saying.

The PM also commended the external affairs ministry’s role in helping the people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and evacuating Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Mr Modi said India had made a place for itself and the world now accepted India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid, and added that other nations sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from the world’s trouble spots.