The Union Minister of State for External & Parliamentary Affairs, V Muraleedharan had a special interactive session with students organized at Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore.
Coimbatore: The Union Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan at a special interactive session organized at Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology in Coimbatore on Thursday, spoke on the theme 'India's Success Story in Foreign Policy in PM Modi's Era.'
"We all are living in a significant period of Indian History, today. We have seen 75 years of our country’s independence. In 2047, we will be witnessing our 100th year of Independence. By that time, India has to be the 'Vishwa Guru,' The Global Leader. Hence, the next 25 years will be an Age of Transformation for India,” emphasised V Muraleedharan.
BJP's Tamil Nadu President, K Annamalai was present at the event as the Guest of Honour and S Malarvizhi, Chairperson and Managing Trustee, Sri Krishna Institutions presided over the event and also delivered the welcome address. At the end of the event, K Adithya, Trustee, Sri Krishna Institutions proposed the vote of thanks.
Annamalai said, “The students of this country are going to build the next phase of India. This country is unique. It is a spiritual powerhouse that proved to all that it is the world leader, a true Vishwa Guru, even several thousand years ago.” He underlined the greatness of India by throwing light on the works of the physician Sushruta who lived in 800 BCE and performed the first surgery in the world. Annamalai also highlighted the works of mathematician Aryabhata who gave the world the digit ‘0.’ He said ancient Indian mathematics powered up Astronomy and Navigation.
Similarly, Annamalai cited many references that highlighted how India remained a leader in the globe several centuries ago. But after the invasion, India’s claim as the global leader dropped. Talking about his college days, Annamalai said, "Many of my classmates/batchmates had moved to the US and other foreign countries for their higher education and jobs. But now students will not need to go abroad for their higher studies because India under PM Modi has made everything available here."
He pointed out there are 100 unicorns in India today with 40 emerging in the last year. 10 years from now, most of these unicorns can become conglomerates offering jobs to innumerable people here. This is the kind of India that students of this generation will step into. Annamalai shared that Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom had thanked vaccine manufacturers in India for its indigenous vaccine and for helping the UK during the pandemic. He said India is reclaiming its glory and it is a great thing to be a youth in India, today. He motivated the students to chase their dreams as they live in a country where anything is possible to achieve.
Highlighting some of the achievements of PM Modi, the Union Minister in his speech mentioned, "We are in the 9th year of the PM Modi-led government, and as of now India is the fifth largest economy, and in the next few years, it will be the third-largest. India has the third-best and largest start-up ecosystem in the world."
With regards to foreign relations, V Muraleedharan mentioned that people who went from India to Reunion Island which is essentially a French Territory, some six generations ago, have approached him to consider them as of Indian origin. (Only the history of four generations is taken as per rules to evaluate a person as a person of Indian Origin.) The Minister said he was approached by them to see if the rules could be changed. He expressed that he considers this to be a credit to PM Modi’s governance that people want to be known as Indian and claim their heritage.
Minister V Muraleedharan also spoke about the various rescue operations and evacuations made by the PM Modi’s Government, like Operation Raahat, evacuating Indians in Yemen during the Yemeni Crisis in 2015 and the evacuation of Indian students from Ukraine in the middle of the Russian-Ukrainian War. He said this evacuation posed a great challenge as students in Sumy and Kharkiv in Ukraine had to be evacuated from the East to the West. For this PM Modi had to intervene and speak with President Putin and President Zelensky, which he did, and that led to a ceasefire.
"The developing and manufacture of the vaccine against Covid-19 and the safe evacuation of Indians abroad have made the Indian citizens feel firm that they can count on their Government, especially in the period of crisis. Also, India’s Neighborhood First policy has helped Sri Lanka get funds, food supplies, and fuel support. It has also helped Afghans during their crisis. Today, Indians are leading in the Silicon Valley, taking part in the governance of different countries and their districts, cities, etc. India will grow further under PM Modi, and in the next 25 years, it will reclaim its fame and name as the Vishwa Guru," reiterated Minister V Muraleedharan.
Thereafter, the session was opened up for questions. Keerthana of the MIB Department asked about the updates on Para Diplomacy, while Karthikayani raised questions about how supporting other countries with vaccines during the pandemic has helped India’s relationship with the rest of the world. Aashika of the MBA Department raised questions about the Supply Chain issues and how trilateral/multilateral agreements with Japan and Australia are benefitting the nation. Aakash of the MBA Department asked Minister V Muraleedharan about his journey as an IPS officer and his transition into a politician. Aishwarya of the Electrical Engineering Department asked the Minister about his views on the Sagar Policy and how it would benefit India.
The Minister and the BJP State President were highly appreciative of the questions asked by the students of SKCET. The Minister answered all their questions and also invited others in the audience to write in a paper about the questions they needed answers to, along with their e-mail ID, and he assured he would answer them all.