Modi takes a jibe at Pakistan, says we don't grab land

New Delhi: 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 LoC, and also in the backdrop of Pakistan’s clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue internationally.

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.

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 be looked at in terms of 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.

Light up India, PM tells diaspora
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.