New Delhi, October 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that everyone’s best interests are served by a world free of conflict and contention while promoting peace and well-being.
“A divided world cannot provide answers to the most pressing problems confronting mankind. This is a moment for fraternity and peace, a chance to work together. Everyone should develop and be happy at this time. To go ahead with human-centric thinking, we must overcome the current worldwide crisis of trust. When he opened the G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ Summit, popularly known as the P20 Summit, he declared, “We have to look at the world in the spirit of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future.'”
He also emphasised India’s long-standing battle with cross-border terrorism, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
Modi remembered the terrorist assault on Parliament that took place roughly 20 years ago, when it was in session and the attackers were ready to kill the MPs by holding them hostage.
He said, “India has arrived here today after dealing with many such terrorist incidents,” adding that the rest of the world is also becoming aware of the enormous problem posed by terrorism.
“Terrorism is against humanity,” he said, “no matter where it occurs, for whatever reason, in whatever form.”
The Prime Minister emphasised the need to be unyielding in such circumstances and also called attention to the global issue where no agreement has been reached on the definition of terrorism.
As he urged Parliaments and representatives around the world to come up with ways of cooperating in this fight against terrorism, Modi highlighted how the International Convention on Combating Terrorism is still waiting for a consensus in the UN today and stressed that the enemies of humanity are taking advantage of this attitude.
Despite Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s last-week confirmation that Canada would be attending the P20 meeting, Canadian Senate Speaker Raymonde Gagne chose to forego the gathering.
At a routine media conference, when questioned about the situation, Arindam Bagchi, a spokeswoman for the External Affairs Ministry, just said that the Canadian speaker “could not attend.”
Even though the opposition has often questioned the accuracy of electronic voting machines (EVMs), the prime minister said that over the last 25 years, their usage has improved the openness and efficiency of the electoral process, with results appearing only hours after counting began.
He urged the delegates to see the general election that would be attended by 1 billion people the following year.
The prime minister emphasised the value of greater engagement in international affairs and said that this was the driving force behind the G20 members’ unanimous approval of the proposal to include the African Union.
He acknowledged his satisfaction with the pan-African involvement at the P20 summit.
He told the group that the P20 summit was taking place in a nation that was both the world’s greatest democracy and the nation renowned as the mother of democracy.
As he cited relevant historical instances of such debates, the prime minister emphasised the value of discussions and considerations.
According to him, the P20 summit is a singular convergence of numerous parliamentary practices from across the globe.
India not only has the biggest elections in the world but also sees a steady rise in voter turnout. Modern technology has been integrated into India’s electoral process.
In order to address the difficulties facing the globe, he emphasised that there is no greater platform than public engagement.
“I’ve always thought that although nations are governed by agreement, governments are chosen by majority vote. This feeling can be strengthened through our parliaments and the P20 conference, too,” Modi said, adding that he is certain that the efforts to make the world a better place through discussion and deliberation will be successful.
Along with other leaders from the G20 and countries with special invitations, the celebration also saw the participation of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Inter-Parliamentary Union President Duarte Pacheco.
