“India Can Rise Again, I Have a Clear Roadmap”, Says Prime Minister Narendra Modi
"India does not need to become anything else. India must become only India. This is a country that once upon a time was called 'the golden bird'. We have fallen from where we were before. But now we have the chance to rise again," Modi said in an interview on CNN International.
"India does not need to become anything else. India must become only India. This is a country that once upon a time was called 'the golden bird'. We have fallen from where we were before. But now we have the chance to rise again," Modi said in an interview on CNN International.
Drawing a parallel between the economic growth stories of India and China, Modi said, "If you see the details of the last five or 10 centuries, you will see that India and China have grown at similar paces. Their contributions to global GDP have risen in parallel and fallen in parallel. Today's era once again belongs to Asia. India and China are both growing rapidly, together."
On whether India can achieve the 8% and 9% growth rates that China has done consistently, Modi said he has faith in the entrepreneurial nature of Indians.
Asked about China's movements in the South China Sea and East China Sea regions, Modi said, "We should have trust in China's understanding and have faith that it would accept global laws and will play its role in cooperating and moving forward." His remark comes just days after Chinese President Xi Jinping's India visit during which dialogue focused on boundary dispute between the neighbours.
Modi added if China is an example, then democratic countries provide another example. "They have also grown fast. You can't say that growth is not possible because of democracy."
In what is being widely seen as a comment on the United States' stance in the Ukraine crisis, Modi said, "In the world right now, a lot of people want to give advice. But look within them and they too have sinned in some way. Ultimately, India's view point is that efforts need to be made to sit together and talk."
