PM lands in Munich for G7, addresses diaspora

The Prime Minister addressed thousands of Indian expatriates at the Audi Dome stadium in Munich hours after arriving in Germany to participate as a special guest in the G7 Summit.

HT Correspondent

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Munich, Germany on Sunday. (PTI)

New Delhi Forty-seven years after an attempt was made to crush democracy and hold it hostage through imposition of the Emergency, the people of India have responded to all such conspiracies in a democratic manner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Addressing thousands of Indian expatriates at the Audi Dome stadium in Munich hours after arriving in Germany to participate as a special guest in the G7 Summit, Modi described the Emergency imposed shortly before midnight on June 25, 1975 as a “black spot” on the vibrant history of India’s democracy.

“The democracy which is our pride, which is in the DNA of every Indian, an attempt was made to crush that democracy and hold it hostage 47 years ago at this time,” Modi said, speaking in Hindi. Though he didn’t name anyone, he appeared to be targeting the opposition Congress party, whose leader and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had declared the Emergency.

“The people of India have answered all conspiracies to crush democracy in a democratic way. We Indians take pride in our democracy, wherever we are,” he said in the speech that lasted a little more than 30 minutes.

“Every Indian can proudly say India is the mother of democracy,” he said, adding that Indian democracy is vibrant despite the country having people with many different cultures, languages and traditions. Every citizen believes in democracy, which is securing the lives of the people, he said.

In his monthly “Mann Ki Baat” radio broadcast earlier in the day, Modi had targeted the Congress for imposing the Emergency and said it is difficult to find another example in the world where people had defeated a “dictatorial mindset” through democratic means.

As with his other speeches at similar gatherings of the Indian diaspora in foreign countries, Modi highlighted India’s growth and development initiatives by his government.

“In the last century, Germany and other countries benefited from the third industrial revolution. India was a slave then and that’s why it could not leverage the benefits. But now India will not be left behind in the fourth industrial revolution, it’s now leading the world,” he said.

Crores of Indians have achieved big goals together and every village is open defecation free and has electricity, while 99% of villages have clean cooking fuel; India has been providing free rations to 80 crore poor people for the past two years, he said.

Drone technology is being used in numerous fields, and at places, fertilisers are being sprayed by drones, he said. The Swamitwa Yojana has been launched to map the land in Indian villages with drones.

“This list of achievements is very long. If I keep speaking, your dinner time will be over. When a country takes correct decisions with correct intentions on time, it is destined for development,” he said, amid chants of “Modi Modi”.

India has also achieved its initiatives to generate 40% of power from non-fossil fuel sources and to blend 10% of ethanol in fuel well ahead of the targets, while 40% of all digital transactions around the world are from India, Modi said. India is also setting new records in data consumption and is among the countries where data is the cheapest, he added.

“Today, India believes in itself and its capabilities. That’s why we’re breaking old records and achieving new goals,” he said.