While advocating peace and well-being, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that a world full of conflict and confrontation is in no one’s interest.
“A divided world cannot provide solutions to the major challenges facing humanity. This is the time of peace and brotherhood, a time to move together. This is a time for growth and well-being of all. We have to overcome the global trust crisis and move forward with human-centric thinking. We have to look at the world in the spirit of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he said while inaugurating the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ summit, also known as P20 summit.
He also highlighted the cross-border terrorism being faced by India for decades, which has led to the killing of thousands of innocent people.
Modi recalled the terrorist attack on Parliament about 20 years ago when it was in session and the terrorists were prepared to take the MPs hostage and eliminate them.
“India has reached here today after dealing with many such terrorist incidents”, he said, adding that the world is also realising the huge challenge of terrorism in the world.
“No matter where terrorism occurs, for whatever reason, in whatever form, it is against humanity,” he added.
The Prime Minister stressed on the need to be uncompromising when dealing with such a situation and also drew attention to the global aspect where no consensus regarding the definition of terrorism is achieved.
Modi underlined how the International Convention on combating terrorism is waiting for a consensus in the UN even today and stressed that the enemies of humanity are taking advantage of this attitude of the world as he urged Parliaments and representatives around the world to come up with ways of working together in this fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne has skipped the event, even though Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had last week confirmed the country’s participation in the P20 summit.
When External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi was asked about the matter at a regular media briefing, he only said the Canadian speaker “could not attend”.
Even as the opposition has repeatedly cast doubts over reliability of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the Prime Minister said that their use since the last 25 years has brought transparency and efficiency to the election process, as election results come within hours of the start of counting.
He informed that 1 billion people will participate in the general election next year and invited the delegates to witness the elections.
Underlining the importance of wider participation in global decision-making, the prime minister said that it was behind the proposal to include the African Union in G20 which was accepted by all the members.
He expressed happiness over the Pan African participation in the forum of P20.
The P20 summit is taking place in a land, which is not only known as the mother of democracy but is also the largest democracy in the world, he informed the gathering.
The Prime Minister underlined the importance of debates and deliberations as he mentioned accurate examples of such debates from history.
The P20 summit is a unique confluence of various Parliamentary practices from around the world, he said.
“India not only conducts the world’s largest elections, but people’s participation in it is also continuously increasing. India has connected the election process with modern technology. “
He underlined that there can be no better medium than public participation to deal with the world’s challenges.
“I have always believed that governments are formed by majority, but the country is run by consensus. Our parliaments and this P20 forum can also strengthen this sentiment,” Modi said, while expressing confidence that the efforts to improve this world through debate and deliberations will definitely be successful.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Duarte Pacheco were also present on the occasion along with other dignitaries representing Parliaments of G20 and special invitee nations.
