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     Hero Username: Reddit Post Number: 11821 Registered: 05-2013 Posted From: 122.175.14.102 Rating: N/A |
QUESTION: Yashwant Raj from Hindustan Times. Everything went off very well from start, from time he landed to the time he left, the hug, et cetera. And then at the Siri Fort speech addressed to the nation (inaudible), he referred to religious intolerance and the need for religious tolerance in India. And that was seen – that was taken as a kind of a parting shot, which is – which left a little bit of a – not a bad taste, but an uncomfortable feeling. What was the background for that remark? What was the need for that call? Was it history of riots, of communal tension that India has had? Or Mr. Modi has had some history himself of this. So what was the background for this remark, this part of the remark? MR. REINER: So I think if you look at the entirety of the speech, the speech was about how both the United States and India have these core democratic values and principles that allow us to continue to provide for all of our people. And this is actually something that I would point to that Prime Minister Modi himself spoke to just the night before in his remarks to the business summit. I don’t believe that this was a parting shot by any means. This was simply the President speaking to what makes us great democratic nations. And again, the prime minister spoke to the same values and core principles the night previous. If you look at the Delhi declaration, it’s the first statement of the fundamental freedoms as a core principle between the two of us that we agree upon. So yeah, I think that’s been somewhat misconstrued in the – I mean, if you look at the context of the entire speech, it’s really about inclusivity. It’s about the power of diversity. It’s about how the empowerment of every individual within society actually creates economic growth and makes us common partners in all of these initiatives. So I’d heard the same. It – there was – I wouldn’t insinuate that there’s any baggage there at all. It was more of a speech to what are our common interests and values that help drive us forward. http://fpc.state.gov/237176.htm Did anyone cover this in Indian media? Cultivate discipline rather than waiting for motivation to miraculously strike and cure your inactivity. |
