Only dialogue can end conflict: Modi
Stresses ‘Asia’s oldest tradition’ of debate is needed to eradicate religious stereotypes and prejudices
NEW DELHI : Prime Minister Narendra Modi underscored on Saturday the virtues of a dialogue to fight global challenges such as terrorism and climate change and to eradicate religious prejudices that cause conflicts across the world.
“I am a product of the ancient Indian tradition that firmly believes in dialogue on difficult issues,” he said in a video message to the second edition of Samvad- Global Initiative on Conflict Avoidance and Environment Consciousness in Yangon.
His remarks came in the backdrop of India’s standoff with China along the Sikkim border and when religious tensions are being reported from across the country over cow slaughter and beef.
“The ancient Indian concept of Tarka Shastra is founded on dialogue and debate as the model for exchange of views and avoidance of conflict,” he said.
Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj too had pitched for bilateral talks to defuse the IndiaChina crisis. She said in Parliament on Thursday that war is not a solution and diplomacy can resolve problems.
The two Asian giants have a protracted border dispute and tension flared up in mid-June over Doklam in the Sikkim sector, located at a narrow but strategically important tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan.
Besides, irritants such as Beijing blocking India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group and New Delhi boycotting president Xi Jinping’s signature oneroad, one-belt initiative have also hit ties.
Prime Minister Modi will visit China in September to address a summit of the five-nation BRICS bloc. BRICS is short for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the countries in the group.
His message on religious stereotypes is viewed as a signal to the Opposition, which is trying to corner the NDA government over reports of cattle vigilantes and mobs lynching livestock traders on the suspicion of ferrying cows, an animal scared for most Hindus, for slaughter.
“Samvad or dialogue is the only way to cut through deeprooted religious stereotypes and prejudices that divide communities across the world and sow seeds of conflict between nations and societies,” Modi said.
He is confident that Asia’s oldest tradition of dialogue and debate can find solutions to a number of global challenges.
He said man must relate to nature and revere it, not merely consider it a resource to be exploited.
“If man does not nurture nature, then nature reacts in the form of climate change,” he said. “Environmental laws and regulations, while essential in any modern society, afford only an inferior protection to nature.”