New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the 1975 Emergency is a black spot on India’s vibrant democracy. Addressing the community programme in Munich, Prime Minister Modi while throwing light on the Emergency imposed in the country in 1975 said it “was our democratic mindset that eventually prevailed and resisted” the same.
“Today is the anniversary of the dark chapter in India's history - the Emergency - that was imposed in 1975. It was our democratic mindset that eventually prevailed and resisted the Emergency,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi said India has shown that democracy can deliver and has delivered, adding the Indians can now proudly say that the nation is the mother of democracy.
Asserting the nation is “progressing” and the countrymen are “growing”, Prime Minister Modi said: “In India now we have a unicorn every 10 days, 5000 patents are being filed every month.”
Prime Minister Modi said India is one of the cheapest data providers in the world with the highest mobile data consumption.
“We are making new records in data consumption, data prices, and even digital transactions. India is leading the way,” Prime Minister Modi said.
“Today, the New India is at the forefront of Industry 4.0. Be it IT or digital technology, India is shining at every front,” he added.
Prime Minister Modi said climate change is just not a matter of policies in India, adding sustainable climate practices have become a part of the lives of the people.
“We have made over 10 crore toilets in the country. Now, the people understand their duty to keep the country clean,” he added, news agency ANI reported.
Prime Minister Modi also talked about the Covid-19 vaccination in the country.
“There was a time when people said India will take 10 to 15 years to vaccinate its population against Covid-19. Today, 90% of adults have taken both doses and 95% of adults have taken at least one dose,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Germany on a two-day visit to attend the G7 Summit where issues like energy, food security, counter-terrorism, environment and democracy with the leaders of the powerful bloc and its partner countries are likely to be discussed.
The G7 summit is scheduled to be held on June 26 and 27 following an invitation by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The summit is being hosted by Germany in its capacity as the chair of G7, a grouping of the world's seven richest nations.
Along with India, the G7 Summit host Germany has also invited Argentina, Indonesia, Senegal and South Africa as guests to recognise the democracies of the global south as its partners.
The member nations of a group of seven leading economies are expected to focus on the Ukraine crisis that has triggered geopolitical turmoil besides fuelling a global food and energy crisis.
From Germany, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to the United Arab Emirates on June 28 to pay his condolences on the passing away of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the former president of the Gulf nation who passed away on May 13 after battling illness for the last several years.