Terrorist attack on Parliament was attack on soul of India: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the 2001 Parliament attack in the Lok Sabha during the Special Parliament Session and saluted the soldiers who took bullets to save Parliament during the 2001 terrorist attack.

Recalling the terrorist attack on the Parliament, the Prime Minister said that it was not an attack on the building but an attack on the Mother of Democracy itself.

"It was an attack on the soul of India", the Prime Minister interjected.

He acknowledged the contributions of those who stood between the terrorists and the House to protect its members and paid tributes to the bravehearts.

The tributes reminded everyone about the horrific terror attack on the Indian Parliament on December 13, 2001.

It may be recalled that it was on December 13, 2001, that Jagdish, Matbar, Kamlesh Kumari; Nanak Chand and Rampal, Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Delhi Police; Om Prakash, Bijender Singh and Ghanshyam, Head Constables in Delhi Police; and Deshraj, a gardener, CPWD, had sacrificed their lives while defending the Parliament against the terrorist attack.

The perpetrators belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)-- two Pakistan-raised terrorist organisations-- attacked the Parliament on December 13, 2001, that led to the deaths of five Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, one CRPF Constable and a gardener and led to increased tensions between India and Pakistan, resulting in the 2001-2002 India-Pakistan standoff.

A total of five terrorists, who infiltrated the Parliament in a car with Home Ministry and Parliament labels, were killed on December 13, 2001 attack.

More than 100 people, including major politicians, were inside the parliament building at the time. The gunmen used a fake identity sticker on the car they drove and thus easily breached the security deployed around the parliamentary complex. The terrorists carried AK47 rifles, grenade launchers and pistols.

The gunmen drove their vehicle into the car of the Indian Vice President Krishan Kant (who was in the building at the time), got out, and began shooting. The Vice President's guards and security personnel shot back at the terrorists and then started closing the gates of the compound.

Indian security agencies and the Delhi Police officials said that gunmen received instructions from Pakistan and the operation was carried out under the guidance of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.
 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India emerging as the fastest-growing large economy is no accident as its simple, scalable and sustainable solutions have empowered the vulnerable and the marginalised to lead the country's development story.

In a write-up in the Information and Broadcasting Ministry's e-book, 'People's G20', Modi said as the G20 president India pledged to make the global table larger, ensuring that every voice is heard and every country contributes.

"I am positive that we have matched our pledge with actions and outcomes," he said. India will retain the presidency till November and Brazil will take over from December.

For India, the G20 presidency is not merely a high-level diplomatic endeavour, Modi said. As the "mother of democracy and a model of diversity" it opened the doors of this experience to the world. Today, accomplishing things at scale is a quality that is associated with India and the G20 presidency is no exception, he said.

"It has become a people-driven movement. Over 200 meetings have been organised in 60 Indian cities across the length and breadth of our nation, hosting nearly 100,000 delegates from 125 countries by the end of our term. No Presidency has ever encompassed such a vast and diverse geographical expanse," he said.

It is one thing to hear about India's demography, democracy, diversity and development from someone else, it is totally different to experience them first-hand, he said, expressing confidence that G20 delegates would vouch for this.

"Our G20 Presidency strives to bridge divides, dismantle barriers, and sow seeds of collaboration that nourish a world where unity prevails over discord, where shared destiny eclipses isolation," he said, reiterating that the philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (world is a family) has been its driving force.