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Affirming that India—the land of Buddha and Gandhi—advocates for peace over conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday emphasised that “the world listens to India because it stands for harmony”.
“That is why culturally and historically, our background is so strong that whenever we speak of peace, the world listens to us, because India is the land of Gautam Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi. We espouse harmony. We neither seek to wage war against nature nor to foster strife among nations. We stand for peace, and wherever we can act as peacemakers, we have gladly embraced that responsibility,” PM Modi said.
Interacting with renowned podcaster Lex Fridman, he highlighted his good relations with both: Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggesting he could urge Russia that “war is not the solution”, all while reminding Ukraine that “battlefields do not bring real solutions.”
Lamenting that the impact of war has spilled onto the rest of the world, PM Modi said, “There has been a lot of suffering. Even the Global South has suffered. The world has been grappling with multiple crises: food, fuel and fertilisers. So the global community should unite in the pursuit of peace”.
Underlining his stance of being “firmly committed to peace”, the prime minister said that after COVID-19, it seemed like the world would come together, but instead, it became more fragmented, with multiple conflicts emerging globally.
“As for me, I have always maintained that I stand with peace. I am not neutral. I have a stance, and that is peace, and peace is what I strive for,” he said.
International institutions have become irrelevant, and organisations like the UN are failing to fulfill their purpose due to a lack of necessary reforms, PM Modi lamented while making a global appeal to abandon conflict.
“The world must move away from conflict and embrace coordination”, he said, noting that progress comes through development, not expansionism.
PM Modi shares his first-hand experience with foreign diplomacy
PM Modi also underscored that his greatest strength comes from the 140 crore Indians who, he insists, stand as the “driving force” behind the nation’s rise on the global stage.
Recalling his early days in office, PM Modi shared that people used to doubt him, asking how a person who had handled just one state could handle India’s foreign affairs as the prime minister, and revealed how his response was firm and unequivocal: “India will neither bow down nor threaten others. We will engage with the world with confidence, looking eye to eye.”
Highlighting that India’s global approach is “guided by dignity, self-respect and mutual respect”, he stressed that at the heart of this vision lies the ancient Indian philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the belief that the world is one family and that “our commitment is the well-being of the entire humanity”.
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