India confronts challenges head-on, leaves no stone unturned for its development: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India is moving forward with a renewed confidence and instead of postponing challenges, the country confronts them head-on.
Addressing the TV9 Network Summit, Modi said that at a time when the world is fragmented into numerous camps, India has managed to build extraordinary bridges -- from the Gulf to the global West, and from the Global South to its neighbours.
Today, India stands as a trusted partner to all, he said.
The prime minister said wars are occurring in various parts of the world, far from India, but in today's interconnected environment, no country can remain untouched by their adverse consequences and the situation has deteriorated in many nations.
Modi said in the past 23 days, since the conflict in West Asia started, India has demonstrated remarkable capacity in relationship-building, decision-making and crisis management.
"Challenges have continued to mount one after another after the COVID-19 pandemic. There has not been a single year that has not tested India and Indians. But with the united efforts of 1.4 billion Indians, India is moving forward while facing every disaster," he said.
The PM said India is moving forward with a renewed confidence and instead of postponing challenges, the country confronts them head-on.
"People often ask whose side are we on. My answer is that we stand with India. We stand with India's interests. We stand with peace and dialogue," he said, adding the serious situation the world is going through right now is extremely worrisome.
Modi also said that even in the current circumstances of war, many countries around the world are astonished to see India's policy and strategy, and to witness its strength.
Today, the PM said, when the world is entangled in conflicts and their impact is visible across the globe, discussing India and the world becomes highly relevant.
"This is the new India. It is leaving no stone unturned for development. What gets measured gets improved and ultimately gets transformed," he said.
Amidst these challenges, certain political parties, driven by self-interest, are seeking to exploit the circumstances for political gain, Modi said in an attack on the Congress.
"Protesting against the government is a fundamental democratic right. However, defaming the country itself raises questions about the intentions of the Congress party," he said.
When protests escalate to the point where even the nation's achievements become a source of discomfort, it is no longer just a matter of politics, it reflects a problematic attitude, he added.
Referring to the previous UPA regime, Modi said when personal interests take precedence in politics, people focus on their own future rather than the future of the country.
"What happened between 2004 and 2014? During the Congress rule, India faced significant issues with the prices of petrol, diesel and gas. Rather than prioritising the nation's welfare, Congress prioritised maintaining power," he said.
At that time, the government issued oil bonds worth Rs 1.48 lakh crore. The then PM Manmohan Singh acknowledged that this decision would place a financial burden on future generations, he said.
"Even knowing that the oil bond decision was wrong, those people who were running the government from remote control took this... decision to save their power. Because accountability was not to happen at that time, the repayment on that bond was to happen after 2020," he said.
In the past five-six years, Modi said, the NDA government has worked to "wash away that sin" of the Congress government.
"And the cost of this washing has not been low. You won't have seen such a laundry," he said.
Slamming the Congress, the PM said the opposition party's politics has been to oppose development and "this has been their consistent approach since my time in Gujarat".
"For years, the people of Gujarat gave us a clear mandate, yet the Congress party repeatedly refused to accept the will of the people," he said.
Modi also slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal for "putting brakes on development".
"West Bengal used to be a hub of culture, education, industry and trade at one time. In the last 11 years, the central government has invested a large amount in the development of West Bengal, but unfortunately, there is such a ruthless government there that is putting brakes on development," he said.
The PM said plans were made earlier too, but results are visible today.
"Earlier the pace was slow, today India is on the fast track. Earlier possibilities were shrouded in darkness. Today resolutions are turning into achievements," Modi said.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
