Seize the moment: PM

India Friday observed 61 years of its independence with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking his countrymen to seize the “moment of opportunity” in making it a great nation.
“India is today viewed with respect as one of the world’s fastest growing economies. People of Indian Origin are engaged in diverse activities around the world and their capabilities are recognized the world over,” the prime minister said in his address to the nation from the historic Red Fort, the fifth and last speech of his tenure as his ruling coalition prepares to face elections next year.
“The world today expects India to regain its due place in the comity of nations. This is a moment of opportunity for us,” he declared.
In his 42-minute speech, delivered in Hindi with security agents holding raincoats and umbrellas at the ready with threatening rain clouds overhead, Manmohan Singh termed the situation in Jammu and Kashmir “a cause for concern” and urged the people and political parties in the troubled state to cooperate in restoring peace.
“The recent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir are a cause for concern. In this hour of crisis, I appeal to all political parties to keep the long term interests of Jammu and Kashmir in view and come together to find a permanent solution to the problems of the state,” Manmohan Singh said.
He noted that the Amarnath shrine, located in the Kashmir Valley, was a “shining example” of India’s secular tradition “where Hindu pilgrims have been looked after for years by their Muslim brothers”.
To the relief of event managers and security agencies, it only drizzled slightly during the prime minister’s speech although the sky remained grey and threatening. The administration had kept ready thousands of umbrellas for the guests and the hundreds of schoolchildren assembled hours earlier to sing the national anthem.
Manmohan Singh condemned the recent terror attacks in Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and other places as acts of “barbarism”. He vowed to strengthen the intelligence agencies and police forces to deal with the problem of terrorism.
The prime minister spoke about the July 7 suicide bombing on the Indian embassy in Kabul that killed over 50 people including four Indians and said they had “cast a shadow over our efforts to normalise relations with Pakistan and to bring a lasting and honourable peace in our region”.
He also spoke optimistically about the future, pointing to the quantum leap the country would take once the India-US nuclear deal is made operational.
The deal would not only end the country’s nuclear isolation but also chart “new pathways to accelerate industrialization of our country”.
“It will open up new opportunities for trade in dual-use high technologies and nuclear materials and equipment, opening up new pathways to accelerate industrialization of our country. It will enable us to provide electricity to meet the needs of our farmers, our artisans, our traders and our industry.”