"India is peace loving country, we do not want terrorism, violence": BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi tells Indonesian think tanks

Jakarta [Indonesia], May 29 (ANI): BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi, who is part of the all-party delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, called India a "peace-loving nation" which does not want violence, terrorism and wants to become a developed nation by 2047. She stated that Operation Sindoor was launched by India to communicate to the international community that the nation stands with women of the country.
While interacting with Indonesian think tanks and academia, Sarangi spoke about the Pahalgam terrorist attack, where the terrorists killed the husbands of women in front of their eyes and termed it a "ghastly act and crime against humanity."
In her address, Sarangi said, "I would touch upon two issues. One of course about naming the entire India offensive as Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor has been a big launch, a big campaign against those perpetrators of violence, of terrorism, who have taken away the husbands of our daughters, of our sisters, and of our mothers. So, I think at this hour, through this meaning of the launch of the offensive as Operation Sindoor, the Indian government wants to communicate to the international community that we all stand by the mothers, daughters, and sisters of the country."
"This was a ghastly act, which I can very well term as a crime against humanity. The vermilion on our head, on our forehead, is the basis of our marital life. We just cannot think of our marital existence in India, the women, without that vermilion on the head. And these terrorists came and removed those marks from the foreheads of women. And that is deplorable, and we strongly condemn, " she added.
Indian Armed Forces launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in direct response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22 that killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen and injured several others.
She also talked about India's positioning in the world. Highlighting India's economic growth, Sarangi said that India has surpassed Japan to become the fourth-largest economic powerhouse and expressed confidence that it will become third third-largest economy in the next 2.5 to 3 years.
Highlighting India's growth, the BJP MP said, "I want to very proudly inform this August House that India stands on the cusp of progress. And there is a reason why I talk about India's positioning in the world at this juncture, which I'll come to later on. India is the fourth-largest economy in the world, as you know. We have just surpassed Japan. and the way we all are working in India, 140-crore Indians, 1.4 billion Indians, we will be the third largest economy, surpassing Germany in the next 2.5 to 3 years. We are extremely confident, and this confidence we express with a tremendous sense of humility.
"We have a GDP growth rate of 6.4 per cent, which is remarkable compared to many of the other countries. The foreign exchange reserves, which are extremely important to offer confidence to the investors and the consumers at this juncture, stand at USD 690 billion in India, which is one of the highest when you compare it with many countries of the world. We have a retail inflation of just 3.16 per cent, which is declining with every passing day. Again, it's a mark of confidence that we want to give to the consumers and the investors," she added.
She emphasised that India, within its boundaries, wants tranquillity, brotherhood, and to work together to reach its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047. She urged Indonesia to stand with India in the fight against terrorism.
Aparajita Sarangi said, "We are a 1.4 billion strong population and I would say with a lot of happiness, I underscore with a lot of happiness, that it's a young population with a median age of only 29 years. So we have a way to go and we are going up. One after the other, I can list out all the achievements, but there is a paucity of time. We want to tell you very emphatically, and I say with all conviction at my command, that India is a peace-loving country. We do not want violence."
"Within the boundaries of India, we want tranquillity, we want brotherhood, we want all of us joining hands and working together, and we want to reach a goal that we have, that we have set for ourselves, a developed nation by 2047. India wants to be in the list of developed nations by 2047. Now, why did I say this? I'm seeing all these things, I'm counting my achievements, my country's achievements, just because I want to communicate very strongly that at this moment of charting the path to progress, we do not want disturbance. We do not want terrorism. We do not want violence. We want peace. We want tranquillity. We want a sense of bonhomie, and that is why all of us have gathered here. In fact, my very esteemed colleague, Shri Salman Khurshid ji has put the entire thing in proper perspective. We want to emphasise that Indonesia is extremely important for us as I told you. It has been a partner all through...I humbly appeal for you to stand by us, help us, talk about us, and be on the same platform as we are against terrorism," she added.
The all-party parliamentary delegation, led by Jha, participated in the 'Interaction with Think Tanks and Academia' in Indonesia's Jakarta. Apart from Aparajita Sarangi, the delegation led by Sarangi includes TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, Brij Lala (BJP), John Brittas (CPI-M), Pradan Baruah (BJP), Hemang Joshi (BJP), Salman Khurshid and Mohan Kumar. Congress leader and former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid.
While interacting with think tanks and academia, Khurshid highlighted the similarities between the two countries.
"We are a multi-party delegation. Seven such delegations have gone across the globe, and as we speak here, they are presently interacting with their counterparts in the rest of the world. The idea is twofold: one, that we show to the world, to friends like you, that India has a united voice on very critical matters, both for the world and for India," the Congress leader said.
"There are many overlaps and similarities between our two countries. you have the largest population of Muslims across the globe; we have the second-largest population. Our enemies want to destroy this very fabric of our society. This is the purpose for which we have come to meet with friends and to speak to those friends who are influential in the world, to see how together we can work on strategies to put an end to terrorism for all times to come," he added.
Khurshid said that as a country that has suffered from terrorism in the past, Indonesia understands India's concern.
"We are not unclear that you have suffered this in the past; therefore, you understand both our pain and our concern, as indeed you understand what needs to be done in the world. Narratives that sometimes come from the part of the world that may or may not have suffered a similar experience are not necessarily authentic."
The delegation is visiting many countries as part of India's global outreach against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. The delegation has so far visited Japan, South Korea, and Singapore. (ANI)