Lucknow: Defending Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent meeting with RSS leaders, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said his government was not giving any presentations or report card to the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh.
“We didn’t meet them to present our report card as alleged by the leaders of rival political parties, but to seek guidance from experienced RSS leaders on various issues. We are volunteers or the RSS and would always remain so. RSS is a nationalist organisation and spreading hatred on the basis of caste or religion is not on its agenda.”
Speaking on the topic ‘India’s Security and Progress: Present state and direction’ at the Hindustan Shikhar Samagam, Singh said, “Pakistan is waging a proxy terror war against India through infiltration which is proving to be a major challenge for us. But, besides military response, we are trying to counter it through diplomacy as well. We have been able to isolate Pakistan on the world forums on the issue. Recently, India signed a historic pact with the UAE to counter terrorism and share intelligence input on the activities of terrorist outfits,” said Singh.
Singh further said, “I have given standing orders to the security officers to give a befitting reply to Pakistan for ceasefire violation. The Indian Army and BSF officers have been told not to provoke firing, but if there is unprovoked firing from the other side, they should give a befitting response,” he said.
The home minister used numbers to show that his government had succeeded in checking infiltration on the border. While there were 264 cases of infiltration in 2012, the number came down to 15 in 2015.
Expressing concern over the spread of Islamic State activities in West Asia, Singh said those who have faith in Islam are committed to checking the IS from spreading its tentacles in India. In some cases where the children were lured by the terror group, their parents not only counselled them, but also alerted the government about their activities. So far, IS has not been able to set its foot on the Indian soil, he said.
Speaking on the two-pronged strategy adopted by central government to control Left wing extremism, Singh said there has been 35% drop in the Maoist activities since the NDA came to power. Besides police action, the government has launched several development schemes in the Maoist-infested areas.
In Jammu and Kashmir, smart intelligence network and quick action by the security forces has enabled them to check infiltration in the region. This year, 130 terrorist trying to cross into the Indian border have been eliminated so far, said the home minister.
India shares a 15,106 km long border with six countries while its coastline is spread across 7,570 km. The NDA government has been able to secure the border by checking infiltration. While the border with Nepal and Bhutan can be termed peaceful, the one shared with Bangladesh and Myanmar is active. However, the China and Pakistan border is sensitive, added Singh.
Highlighting the NDA government’s efforts to resolve the border dispute with China, Singh said during his visit to China in May earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised the issue with the Chinese premier Li Keqiang and talks are still on to resolve the problem.
Talking about the Centre’s policy to end insurgency in the North East, Singh said his government is holding talks with various groups. Talks with the NSCN (IM) were fruitful, while the NSCN (K) that killed 18 soldiers in Manipur in June, has already been neutralized. In Assam too, insurgent groups have been eliminated or jailed. Efforts are being made to check smuggling of fake Indian currency and narcotics, added the home minister.
Replying to a question on the Modi government’s decision to withdraw the Land Acquisition Bill, Singh said, “The decision was taken as the government couldn’t afford to ignore the Opposition’s view. Taking advantage of the situation, some political parties were trying to mislead the common man on the issue by portraying the NDA govt as anti-farmer. I will appeal to the Opposition parties to support the GST bill as it will pave way for development in the country, added Singh.
If the present economic growth trend continues, India will be among the top three economies along with China and the USA within a decade, said Singh. Talking about the country’s growth he said, “In the 21st century, India will lead the world. The economy of the country is moving on the path of development and our military is also keeping pace with it. Some countries are trying to destabilize our progress but we have been able to neutralize their evil design.”