Published By : Admin | August 20, 2018 | 17:10 IST
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પ્રધાનમંત્રી શ્રી નરેન્દ્ર મોદીએ આજે (20 ઓગસ્ટ, 2018) નવી દિલ્હીમાં ભૂતપૂર્વ પ્રધાનમંત્રી શ્રી અટલ બિહારી વાજપેયીની સ્મૃતિમાં આયોજિત પ્રાર્થનાસભાને સંબોધન કર્યું હતું.
તેમણે કહ્યું હતું કે, આપણું જીવન કેટલું લાંબું છે એ હાથમાં નથી, પણ આપણે નક્કી કરી શકીએ કે આપણું જીવન કેવું હશે, અટલજીએ તેમનાં જીવનમાં એ દર્શાવ્યું છે કે જીવન કેવું હોવું જોઈએ અને તેમનો ઉદ્દેશ શું હોવો જોઈએ, અટલજીએ દરેક ક્ષણ સામાન્ય જનતા માટે પસાર કરી છે. યુવાવસ્થાથી લઈને જ્યાં સુધી શરીરે સાથ આપ્યો ત્યાં સુધી તેઓ દેશ માટે જીવ્યાં હતાં, અટલજી દેશવાસીઓ માટે, પોતાનાં સિદ્ધાંતો માટે અને જનસાધારણની આકાંક્ષાઓ માટે જીવ્યાં હતાં.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે, જ્યારે મજબૂત રાજકીય વિચારધારાનો કોઈ વિકલ્પ નહોતો, ત્યારે વાજપેયીજીએ પોતાનું રાજકીય જીવન પસાર કર્યુ હતું, એકલાં પડી જવા છતાં તેઓ તેમનાં આદર્શો પ્રત્યે પ્રતિબદ્ધ રહ્યાં હતાં. તેઓ લાંબા સમય સુધી વિરોધ પક્ષમાં રહ્યાં, પણ એમનાં આદર્શો જળવાઈ રહ્યાં હતાં, વાજપેયીજીએ સંસદીય પરંપરાઓનું સન્માન કર્યું અને તક મળી એટલે લોકોના કલ્યાણ માટે પોતાનું દ્રષ્ટિકોણને સાર્થક કર્યો.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું કે, તમે દરેક ક્ષણે "અટલ" અનુભવ કરી શકો છો, 11 મે, 1998નાં રોજ પરમાણુ પરીક્ષણ કરીને તેમણે વિશ્વને ચકિત કરી દીધા હતાં. તેમણે આ પરીક્ષણોની સફળતાનો શ્રેય આપણાં વૈજ્ઞાનીકોની કુશળતાનો આપ્યો હતો. ભારતનાં પરમાણુ પરીક્ષણ પર વિશ્વનાં મોટાં-મોટાં દેશોએ વિપરીત પ્રતિક્રિયા આપી હોવા છતાં અટલજી કોઈનાં દબાણમાં આવ્યાં નહોતાં અને વિશ્વને દેખાડ્યું હતું કે, ભારત "અટલ" છે.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે, વાજપેયીજીનાં નેતૃત્વમાં કોઈ પણ પ્રકારની કડવાશ વિના ત્રણ નવા રાજ્યોની રચના થઈ હતી, વાજપેયજીએ બધાને સાથે રાખીને કેવી રીતે નિર્ણયો લઈ શકાય એ દર્શાવ્યું હતું.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ યાદ કર્યું હતું કે, જ્યારે અટલજીએ કેન્દ્રમાં પહેલી વાર સરકારની રચના કરી હતી, ત્યારે કોઈ પણ પક્ષ સમર્થન આપવા રાજી નહોતો અને સરકાર ફક્ત 13 દિવસ જ ચાલી શકી. પરંતુ અટલજી નિરાશ થયાં નહોતાં અને લોકોની સેવા કરવા માટે સંકલ્પબદ્ધ રહ્યાં. તેમણે ગઠબંધનનાં રાજકારણનો માર્ગ પ્રશસ્ત કર્યો હતો.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે, વાજપેયજીએ કાશ્મીર પર વિશ્વની ધારણા બદલી નાંખી હતી. તેમણે આતંકવાદનો મુદ્દો ઉઠાવ્યો હતો અને વૈશ્વિક સ્તરે કેન્દ્રમાં લાવીને મૂકી દીધો હતો.
પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે, અટલજી આપણી પ્રેરણા બનીને રહેશે. તેઓ જાહેર જીવન અને રાજનીતિથી એક દસકાથી વધારે સમય દૂર રહ્યાં હતાં તેમ છતાં એમનાં નિધન પર લાગણીનું ઘોડાપૂર ઉમટ્યું. આ એમની મહાનતા દર્શાવે છે. પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ જણાવ્યું હતું કે, અટલજીને ક્યારેય ન મળેલા યુવાન ભારતીય પહેલવાન બજરંગ પૂનિયાએ ગઈ કાલે એશિયાઈ રમતોત્સવમાં પ્રાપ્ત કરેલો સુવર્ણચંદ્રક અટલજીને સમર્પિત કર્યો હતો. પ્રધાનમંત્રીએ કહ્યું હતું કે, એક વ્યક્તિ કેટલી ઊંચાઈ અને કેટલી મોટી સફળતા પ્રાપ્ત કરી શકે છે એ અટલજીએ દર્શાવ્યું છે.
Atal Ji's was a life for the people of India.
In his youth itself he decided that he wants to serve his fellow Indians.
He entered politics when only one party held sway over the political discourse: PM @narendramodi
Atal Ji's efforts ensured Indian became a nuclear power. He attributed the tests of 11th May 1998 to the brilliance of our scientists. Two days later, India tested again & showed what a strong political leadership can do. He never buckled under pressure. He was Atal after all: PM
When Atal Ji formed the Government for 13 days, no party was willing to support him. The Government fell. He did not lose hope and remained committed to serving the people.
Atal Ji showed the way when it came to coalition politics: PM @narendramodi
Yesterday one of our athletes, @BajrangPunia won the Gold (our 1st in 2018 Asian Games). He dedicated medal to Atal Ji. I do not think Bajrang would have had the opportunity to closely interact with Atal Ji but such is Atal Ji's respect that every Indian is inspired by him: PM https://t.co/vB8T58xGcT
Your Excellency President Irfan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Philips, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Former President Donald Ramotar, Members of the Guyanese Cabinet, Members of the Indo-Guyanese Community,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Namaskar!
Seetaram !
I am delighted to be with all of you today.First of all, I want to thank President Irfan Ali for joining us.I am deeply touched by the love and affection given to me since my arrival.I thank President Ali for opening the doors of his home to me.
I thank his family for their warmth and kindness. The spirit of hospitality is at the heart of our culture. I could feel that, over the last two days. With President Ali and his grandmother, we also planted a tree. It is part of our initiative, "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam", that is, "a tree for mother”. It was an emotional moment that I will always remember.
Friends,
I was deeply honoured to receive the ‘Order of Excellence’, the highest national award of Guyana. I thank the people of Guyana for this gesture. This is an honour of 1.4 billion Indians. It is the recognition of the 3 lakh strong Indo-Guyanese community and their contributions to the development of Guyana.
Friends,
I have great memories of visiting your wonderful country over two decades ago. At that time, I held no official position. I came to Guyana as a traveller, full of curiosity. Now, I have returned to this land of many rivers as the Prime Minister of India. A lot of things have changed between then and now. But the love and affection of my Guyanese brothers and sisters remains the same! My experience has reaffirmed - you can take an Indian out of India, but you cannot take India out of an Indian.
Friends,
Today, I visited the India Arrival Monument. It brings to life, the long and difficult journey of your ancestors nearly two centuries ago. They came from different parts of India. They brought with them different cultures, languages and traditions. Over time, they made this new land their home. Today, these languages, stories and traditions are part of the rich culture of Guyana.
I salute the spirit of the Indo-Guyanese community. You fought for freedom and democracy. You have worked to make Guyana one of the fastest growing economies. From humble beginnings you have risen to the top. Shri Cheddi Jagan used to say: "It matters not what a person is born, but who they choose to be.”He also lived these words. The son of a family of labourers, he went on to become a leader of global stature.
President Irfan Ali, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, former President Donald Ramotar, they are all Ambassadors of the Indo Guyanese community. Joseph Ruhomon, one of the earliest Indo-Guyanese intellectuals, Ramcharitar Lalla, one of the first Indo-Guyanese poets, Shana Yardan, the renowned woman poet, Many such Indo-Guyanese made an impact on academics and arts, music and medicine.
Friends,
Our commonalities provide a strong foundation to our friendship. Three things, in particular, connect India and Guyana deeply. Culture, cuisine and cricket! Just a couple of weeks ago, I am sure you all celebrated Diwali. And in a few months, when India celebrates Holi, Guyana will celebrate Phagwa.
This year, the Diwali was special as Ram Lalla returned to Ayodhya after 500 years. People in India remember that the holy water and shilas from Guyana were also sent to build the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Despite being oceans apart, your cultural connection with Mother India is strong.
I could feel this when I visited the Arya Samaj Monument and Saraswati Vidya Niketan School earlier today. Both India and Guyana are proud of our rich and diverse culture. We see diversity as something to be celebrated, not just accommodated. Our countries are showing how cultural diversity is our strength.
Friends,
Wherever people of India go, they take one important thing along with them. The food! The Indo-Guyanese community also has a unique food tradition which has both Indian and Guyanese elements. I am aware that Dhal Puri is popular here! The seven-curry meal that I had at President Ali’s home was delicious. It will remain a fond memory for me.
Friends,
The love for cricket also binds our nations strongly. It is not just a sport. It is a way of life, deeply embedded in our national identity. The Providence National Cricket Stadium in Guyana stands as a symbol of our friendship.
Kanhai, Kalicharan, Chanderpaul are all well-known names in India. Clive Lloyd and his team have been a favourite of many generations. Young players from this region also have a huge fan base in India. Some of these great cricketers are here with us today. Many of our cricket fans enjoyed the T-20 World Cup that you hosted this year.
Your cheers for the ‘Team in Blue’ at their match in Guyana could be heard even back home in India!
Friends,
This morning, I had the honour of addressing the Guyanese Parliament. Coming from the Mother of Democracy, I felt the spiritual connect with one of the most vibrant democracies in the Caribbean region. We have a shared history that binds us together. Common struggle against colonial rule, love for democratic values, And, respect for diversity.
We have a shared future that we want to create. Aspirations for growth and development, Commitment towards economy and ecology, And, belief in a just and inclusive world order.
Friends,
I know the people of Guyana are well-wishers of India. You would be closely watching the progress being made in India. India’s journey over the past decade has been one of scale, speed and sustainability.
In just 10 years, India has grown from the tenth largest economy to the fifth largest. And, soon, we will become the third-largest. Our youth have made us the third largest start-up ecosystem in the world. India is a global hub for e-commerce, AI, fintech, agriculture, technology and more.
We have reached Mars and the Moon. From highways to i-ways, airways to railways, we are building state of art infrastructure. We have a strong service sector. Now, we are also becoming stronger in manufacturing. India has become the second largest mobile manufacturer in the world.
Friends,
India’s growth has not only been inspirational but also inclusive. Our digital public infrastructure is empowering the poor. We opened over 500 million bank accounts for the people. We connected these bank accounts with digital identity and mobiles. Due to this, people receive assistance directly in their bank accounts. Ayushman Bharat is the world’s largest free health insurance scheme. It is benefiting over 500 million people.
We have built over 30 million homes for those in need. In just one decade, we have lifted 250 million people out of poverty. Even among the poor, our initiatives have benefited women the most. Millions of women are becoming grassroots entrepreneurs, generating jobs and opportunities.
Friends,
While all this massive growth was happening, we also focused on sustainability. In just a decade, our solar energy capacity grew 30-fold ! Can you imagine ?We have moved towards green mobility, with 20 percent ethanol blending in petrol.
At the international level too, we have played a central role in many initiatives to combat climate change. The International Solar Alliance, The Global Biofuels Alliance, The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, Many of these initiatives have a special focus on empowering the Global South.
We have also championed the International Big Cat Alliance. Guyana, with its majestic Jaguars, also stands to benefit from this.
Friends,
Last year, we had hosted President Irfaan Ali as the Chief Guest of the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas. We also received Prime Minister Mark Phillips and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in India. Together, we have worked to strengthen bilateral cooperation in many areas.
Today, we have agreed to widen the scope of our collaboration -from energy to enterprise,Ayurveda to agriculture, infrastructure to innovation, healthcare to human resources, anddata to development. Our partnership also holds significant value for the wider region. The second India-CARICOM summit held yesterday is testament to the same.
As members of the United Nations, we both believe in reformed multilateralism. As developing countries, we understand the power of the Global South. We seek strategic autonomy and support inclusive development. We prioritize sustainable development and climate justice. And, we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy to address global crises.
Friends,
I always call our diaspora the Rashtradoots. An Ambassador is a Rajdoot, but for me you are all Rashtradoots. They are Ambassadors of Indian culture and values. It is said that no worldly pleasure can compare to the comfort of a mother’s lap.
You, the Indo-Guyanese community, are doubly blessed. You have Guyana as your motherland and Bharat Mata as your ancestral land. Today, when India is a land of opportunities, each one of you can play a bigger role in connecting our two countries.
Friends,
Bharat Ko Janiye Quiz has been launched. I call upon you to participate. Also encourage your friends from Guyana. It will be a good opportunity to understand India, its values, culture and diversity.
Friends,
Next year, from 13 January to 26 February, Maha Kumbh will be held at Prayagraj. I invite you to attend this gathering with families and friends. You can travel to Basti or Gonda, from where many of you came. You can also visit the Ram Temple at Ayodhya. There is another invite.
It is for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that will be held in Bhubaneshwar in January. If you come, you can also take the blessings of Mahaprabhu Jagannath in Puri. Now with so many events and invitations, I hope to see many of you in India soon. Once again, thank you all for the love and affection you have shown me.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
And special thanks to my friend Ali. Thanks a lot.
