NEW DELHI, Jan 27: President Barack Obama today wound up his three-day trip here with a strong pitch for religious tolerance, cautioning that India will succeed so long as it was not “splintered along the lines of religious faith”.
Delivering a powerful message against religious extremism shortly before he left for Saudi Arabia, he said, “every person has a right to practice the faith that they choose and to practice no faith at all, and to do so free of persecution, fear or discrimination”.
Obama’s comments in the backdrop of controversies over religious conversion and “ghar wapsi” programmes of some Hindutva outfits, triggered a fierce debate in the social media with some taking exception to his “lecturing India” and others seeing them as a timely reminder to the government.
His 35-minute address to a select gathering of some 1,500 people in Siri Fort auditorium in a US-style Town Hall meeting, was the US leader’s only public speaking engagement without any Indian leader by his side. He received rapturous cheers several times.
The US President also spoke of the strong ties between India and his country which were natural partners with their shared values of democracy, freedom of religion and diversity that gave opportunities for even people of humble origins to rise to the top.
Obama underlined that India would succeed so long as it was not “splintered” on religious lines or any other lines.
He said that around the world there was intolerance, violence and terror perpetrated by those who profess to be standing for upholding their faith.
“We have to guard against any efforts to divide us on sectarian lines or any other thing,” he said.
The US leader said that no society is immune by the darkest impulses of man and that more often religion has been used to tap into it.
He began his reference to religious tolerance by pointing out that across “our two great countries” there were Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jews and recalling that Mahatma Gandhi had said that different religions are beautiful flowers on the same garden and branches from the “same majestic tree”.
Freedom of religion was written into America’s founding documents and Article 25 of the Indian Constitution gave all people right to practice or propagate their religion.
“In both our countries, in almost all countries, upholding this fundamental right is the responsibility of the government and also the responsibility of every person,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, a special radio programme featuring US President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aired tonight, devoid of any hard issues like politics and foreign affairs but focussed on social issue and personal matters related to the two leaders.
The 35-minute special broadcast of ‘Mann Ki Baat’, which marked the bonhomine between Modi and Obama, touched on issues like girl child, public health and personal experiences of the two leaders, both of whom have risen from humble backgrounds to assume to top positions of the respective countries.
The programme, recorded yesterday, was virtually conducted by Modi, who read out the questions received from various parts of the country and both the leaders answered them.
At the outset, Modi said most of the questions posed by people were “connected to politics, foreign policy, economic policy. However, some questions touch the heart. And I believe if we touch those questions today, we shall be able to reach out to the common man in different parts of the country.”
Obama, before answering the questions, said ‘namaste’ to the listeners and talked about his discussions with Modi and how his country wants to be a partner in India’s endeavour to lift its millions (rpt) millions of people from poverty.
He expressed keenness to partner India in development of infrastructure and in provision of facilities like clean energy and electricity.
Obama was asked whether he, after the end of his Presidency, will work in the field of health care, particularly addressing the problems of diabetes and obesity, like Bill Gates and his wife Melinda.
To this, the US President said he was looking forward to partnering with organizations, and the Government and non-governmental organizations here in India, around broader public health issues including the issue of obesity.
He said his wife Michelle has already done a lot on this issue. Talking about obesity, he said, “This is an issue that we would like to work on internationally, including here in India. And it is a part of a broader set of issues around global health that we need to address.”
He said he had discussed with Modi how a better job can be done in dealing with issues like pandemic and making sure that there are good alert systems so that if a disease like Ebola, or a deadly flu virus, or Polio appears, it is detected quickly and then treated quickly without spreading.
To a question on girl child, Modi said there is a lot of worry because of the sex ratio in India as for every 1000 boys, the number of girls is less.
“The main reason for this is that, there is a defect in our attitudes towards boys and girls,” he said.
In this respect, the Prime Minister said, the life of the US President is an inspiration, considering the “way he has brought up his two daughters, the way he is proud of his two daughters.”
He underlined that “to save the girl child and to educate the girl child is our social duty, cultural duty, and humanitarian responsibility. We should honour it.”
Talking about the technology, Obama said the Governments should reach out to people in an inclusive way, and an open way, and a transparent way and engage in a dialogue with citizens about the direction of their country.
“And one of the great things about India and the United States is that we are both open societies. And we have confidence and faith that when citizens have information, and there is a vigorous debate, that over time even though sometimes democracy is frustrating, the best decisions and the most stable societies emerge and the most prosperous societies emerge,” he said.
Modi talked about youth power and said, “I believe, looking at the strength and reach of today’s youth, I would say, Youth, Unite the world. I believe they have the strength and they can do it.”
One questioner asked: “As leaders of two major economies, what inspires you and makes you smile at the end of a bad day at work?”
To this, Obama said, “…The only problems that come to my desk are the ones that nobody else solves…. So there are days when it’s tough and frustrating. And that’s true in Foreign Affairs. That is true in Domestic Affairs. But I tell you what inspires me … Almost every day I meet somebody who tells me, ‘You made a difference in my life’.
A questioner asked Obama what experience will he share with his two daughters about his India visit when he returns home.
Responding, the President said they very much wanted to come to India with him but “unfortunately each time that I have taken a trip here, they had school and they couldn’t leave school”. He said Malia, his elder daughter, had exams just recently.
“They are fascinated by the culture, and the history of India, in part because of my influence I think, they are deeply moved by India’s movement to Independence, and the role that Gandhi played, in not only the non-violent strategies here in India, but how those ended up influencing the non-violent Civil Rights Movement in the United States. “So when I go back I am going to tell them that India is as magnificent as they imagined. And I am quite sure that they are going to insist that I bring them back the next time I visit. It may not be during my Presidency, but afterwards they will definitely want to come and visit.” (PTI)
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