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We are near and we are together: PM speaks at Dhaka University
June 07, 2015
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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today said that even as his 2-day visit to Bangladesh was ending, he felt the real journey begins now. He said the welcome accorded to him, was in effect, a welcome to 125 crore Indians.

He was addressing a gathering comprising members of the Indian community, eminent Bangladeshis including political personalities, cultural personalities, business persons, academicians and Dhaka University students. He said that while people thought we were just near (paas-paas) to each other, now the world would have to acknowledge that we are not just paas-paas but also saath-saath (together).

He said he was especially happy that a Mukti Jodha President, in the presence of the Bangabandhu's daughter, had presented the Bangladesh Liberation War honour to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which Shri Modi had the honour to receive. He said that as a young man, his first exposure to politics was in the form of a Satyagrahi in support of the liberation struggle in Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister said the world rarely notices developing countries. He said Bangladesh has had to often face natural disasters. But nevertheless, he said, Bangladesh has done unparalleled work in many fields. He said the work done by Bangladesh in the garment sector is well appreciated. He said that he was happy to hear this on a recent visit to China, for the fact that a developing country had achieved such a feat. He said that if Bangladesh prospers, India too would benefit.

The Prime Minister said many states in India could learn from Bangladesh on several social indicators, such as infant mortality rate. He said when Bangladesh progresses, India feels proud, because Indian soldiers too have shed blood for the birth of this country.

The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her single-minded focus on economic development. He said a firm foundation is being laid for Bangladesh's economic progress.

The Prime Minister said India and Bangladesh are both blessed to be young nations, with young dreams. He said a nation with such leadership and such strength, like Bangladesh, would progress inexorably.

The Prime Minister said the era of expansionism in geopolitics has ended. He said the world now needs vikaswaad (development), not vistaarwaad (expansionism).

Referring to the Land Boundary Agreement between the two countries, he described it as one which bonded hearts together. The Prime Minister said both India and Bangladesh wanted to establish the Buddhist circuit - and where there was Buddha, there could be no Yuddha. He quoted a newspaper editorial that said that the Land Boundary Agreement was equivalent to the fall of the Berlin Wall. He said the world would have to acknowledge that we are people who find ways to move ahead.

The Prime Minister said the younger generation deserves the chance to achieve its aspirations. He appreciated the contribution of the Dhaka University to Bangladesh. He said that India would work with Dhaka University on oceanography, to build the Ocean Economy.

The Prime Minister said SAARC countries were keen to establish connectivity at the last SAARC summit - but then - not every country is Bangladesh. He said India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan had now decided to move ahead in this direction. He said the European Union had developed a lot because of better connectivity. He said today no country could work alone, as the whole world has become interdependent. He said India and Bangladesh had recognized this fact, and this was reflected in the 22 agreements that had been signed during this visit. He congratulated the farsighted leadership of Bangladesh for accomplishing this.

The Prime Minister said a satellite photo would reveal that the SAARC countries were still dark - had no access to electricity. He said if India Nepal Bhutan and Bangladesh worked together, this darkness would be dispelled. He said recently Bangladesh helped India transport equipment for a power plant in Tripura, and now Bangladesh was receiving 100 MW of power from that power plant.

The Prime Minister spoke of shared potential in sectors such as solar energy and space.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh had done a lot for women empowerment. He said this is a matter of pride. He recalled billboards in Dhaka featuring the woman cricket player, Salma Khatun. He added that the rise of the Bangladesh cricket team reflects the potential of Bangladesh. He said that he is proud that he has come to walk together with this Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister acknowledged that some tasks were still to be accomplished. He said he believed and panchhi (birds), pawan (wind), and paani (water) needed no visa - and therefore - the Teesta issue had to be solved with a human approach. Referring to unfortunate incidents on the border, he said it was the responsibility of both sides to ensure that a solution is found. He said illegal human trafficking and fake currency were issues which Bangladesh had expressed an intention to resolve.

The Prime Minister called for reform of the United Nations. He said India still had not got a permanent seat in the UN Security Council. He said this was a country which never fought to gain land. He said 75,000 Indian soldiers had sacrificed their lives for others in the First World War, and 90,000 in the Second World War. He referred to India's role in peacekeeping operations across the world. He said Indian soldiers had fought alongside Mukti Jodhas as well, for Bangladesh. Yet India had still not got a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. Referring to the Pakistani prisoners of war after the 1971 war, he said India released 90,000 soldiers, because it was only interested in the welfare and progress of Bangladesh. He said this incident, in itself should have been enough to convince the world that India should get a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

The Prime Minister said that on the first day itself, his Government had invited SAARC leaders, indicating its intention to progress together with SAARC.

He said he was happy that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had declared zero tolerance for terrorism. He said terrorism is an enemy of humanity, and therefore all humanitarian forces had to unite to fight it.

The Prime Minister said his vision and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's vision matched perfectly - that of development.

Click here to read the text of PM's speech

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PM Modi addresses public meeting at Dhanbad, Jharkhand
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Amidst the ongoing election campaigning in Jharkhand, PM Modi’s rally spree continued as he addressed an election rally in Dhanbad today. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude towards the people for their support and said the double-engine growth of Jharkhand became possible because the party was in power both at the Centre and in the state.

Highlighting the commitments fulfilled by his government, the PM said, "People across the country have faith on Bharatiya Janata Party as BJP delivers on its promises. In just 6 months, BJP has shown that no matter how big the resolutions are, no matter how big difficulties are, we worked day and night to complete them.”

Talking about abrogating Article 370, PM Modi said that people of the country elected Modi to take hard decisions. We only thought about the country and that is why article 370, which had been in existence for decades, was revoked. He said that today Article 370 had been removed from Jammu and Kashmir and the Constitution of India was enforced there.

Referring to the Ayodhya verdict, PM Modi asserted, “We had promised that we will peacefully solve the long standing Ayodhya issue, which the Congress was deliberately blocking. Now as you can see, the path for construction of a grand Ram Temple is open.”

Training his guns at the Opposition, he said, “All the work that has been done in the last 6 months, many of them were hanging for decades. And the credit for hanging them goes to the Congress and its allies, who ruled the country for the longest time.”

Hitting out at the opposition parties for opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, PM Modi remarked that the millions of refugees came to India from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. They have been living in India for decades. They were only used for vote bank politics by the opposition parties.

PM Modi further alleged, “Congress in the past had promised relief to persecuted minority refugees but never did anything for them. The condition in which they were living in Pakistan, similar treatment was given by Congress governments to them. There are attempts to fuel tensions in the Northeast region. Most of the region is out of the ambit of this bill but politics of Congress and its allies depends on illegal immigrants.”

Addressing the huge rally, PM Modi made an appeal to the brothers and sisters of North East, especially Assam to not to get deceived by the opposition’s agenda. He urged, “I assure every state of the East and Northeast. The traditions, culture, language etc of Assam and other states will not be affected at all. Central Govt will work with state Govts for your development. Don't be misled by Congress's statements.”

Prime Minister Modi also talked about the several central schemes and projects which are benefiting the people of Jharkhand at large. He spoke about bringing IIT and AIIMS to the state which was pending for long, finally the BJP government has fulfilled the demand.

Calling for high voter turn out, PM Modi urged citizens of Jharkhand to come out and vote in large numbers.