India 'visibly transformed', now at centre stage of world affairs under PM Modi: RN Ravi

AHMEDABAD: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Friday said India has undergone a “visible transformation” under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and now the country is at the centre stage of world affairs.

Ravi, a former Indian Police Service officer who has earlier served as Deputy National Security Advisor, was delivering the convocation address at Anant National University near here.

“If anyone who tries to understand India from any literature, study or analysis which is a decade or older, it is rather irrelevant. Today, our country is not what it was a decade ago. A country populous but at the margin of world affairs. A country mired in pessimism, diffidence, accepting tardiness and poverty as established norms,” he said.

“Today, India is at the centre stage of world affairs. When the Prime Minister of India speaks, the world listens with attention. In every field our country is experiencing millions of revolutions. Today, transformation is visible,” he said.

The country was experiencing comprehensive transformation at unprecedented speed and scale, he added.

“Till about a decade ago, we had the dubious distinction of being a country with over 60 per cent open defecation. And we did not even talk about it. People used to say it is a cultural issue. Instead of building toilets, it became a cultural issue. Within a few years, this huge country of 140 crores became open defecation free, thanks to people’s participation,” he said.

India is the most digitized country in the world and the country’s digital transaction per day accounts for 45 per cent of the global digital transactions, he said.

“This is digital India. The trinity of Jan Dhan (bank accounts), Aadhaar and mobile (phones) is acknowledged world over. And advanced countries are studying it with curiosity,” the Tamil Nadu governor said.

On the issue of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Ravi said India “kept suffering” despite knowing the neighbouring country was involved in it.

“But what happened after Pulwama (attack)? After Pulwama, they got a taste of it, that there will be a cost, and the cost will be heavy. We hit them back deep inside in their belly. And now, thereafter, we have peace. On every front, our country is moving forward. Transforming itself. A new country, a new Bharat is emerging,” he said.

This has been made possible because the “national leadership” understands Bharat, Ravi asserted.

Whenever a high-level Chinese delegation came to India or an Indian delegation went to China, the Chinese military would move forward and try to capture some territory, he said, adding something similar happened in September 2014 when Chinese President Xi Jinping was on a visit to India.

“At that time, they moved their troops to southern Ladakh and captured territory. It used to happen. It was predictable.. But when this happened, the Prime Minister said push them back. And they were pushed back,” said Ravi.

“They were made to vacate what they had captured, pushed back. And when the Chinese president said Mr Prime Minister ‘this is a small issue and we’ll resolve it’ the PM said ‘no Mr President it is not a small problem,” Ravi said.