Modi in UK Parliament: 'Visit India to experience the wind of change'

In a veiled reference to Pakistan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said there should be a global resolve to "isolate" those who harbour terrorists and willingness to stand with nations that will fight them "honestly".

Addressing MPs in British Parliament's Royal Gallery, Modi, who is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UK in 10 years, said the world must speak in one voice and act in unison to combat terrorism, calling it a "challenge of our times."

Dwelling on terrorism among other subjects during his 25-minute speech, Modi said there should be no distinction between terrorist groups or discrimination between nations.

"There should be a resolve to isolate those who harbour terrorists and willingness to stand with nations that will fight them honestly. And, we need a social movement against extremism in countries where it is most prevalent and, every effort to delink religion and terrorism," he said.

"The world must speak in one voice and act in unison to combat this challenge of our times," Modi said while stating that terrorism and extremism are a global force that are larger than their changing names, groups, territories and targets.

"We must adopt a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the UN without delay. There should be no distinction between terrorist groups or discrimination between nations."

On the situation in the Indian sub-continent, Modi said India wants an Afghanistan that is shaped by the dreams of the great Afghan people, not by "irrational fears and overreaching ambitions" of others.

Modi told the British parliamentarians that "we are living in a world where instability in a distant region quickly reaches our doorsteps and that we see this in the challenges of radicalization and refugees".

"The fault lines are shifting from the boundaries of nations into the web of our societies and the streets of our cities," he said.

Stating that he is truly honoured to speak in the British Parliament, Modi said even in this globalised world, London is still the standard for our times.

Modi said Indians invest more in Britain than in the rest of European Union combined not because they want to save on interpretation costs, but because they find an environment that is welcoming and familiar.

India is the third largest source of Foreign Direct Investment projects in the UK.

Stating that India is new bright spot of hope and opportunity for the world, the prime minister said India among other things is igniting the engines of its manufacturing sector and making its farms more productive and more resilient.

"If you visit India, you will experience the wind of change," he told his audience.

Modi said Indian and UK security agencies work together so that our children return home safe and our increasingly networked lives are not prey to the threats on cyber space.

"Our Armed Forces exercise with each other, so that they can stand more strongly for the values we represent. This year alone, we have had three exercises together," he said.

He mentioned that a peaceful, stable Indian Ocean Region is vital for global commerce and prosperity.

"And, the future of Asia Pacific region will have profound impact on all of us. We both have huge stakes in West Asia and the Gulf," he said amid increasing Chinese assertiveness in South China Sea.

He said UK's support to India in the international arena, has made it more possible for India to take her rightful place in global institutions and regimes. "It has helped us both advance our common interests".

"Inspired by Gandhiji, the change has begun with us -- the way the government works. There is transparency and accountability in governance. There is boldness and speed in decisions. Federalism is no longer the fault line of Centre-State relations, but the definition of a new partnership of Team India.

"Citizens now have the ease of trust, not the burden of proof and process. Businesses find an environment that is open and easy to work in. In a nation connected by cell phones, Digital India is transforming the interface between Government and people," he said.

"And, the motto of Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, is our vision of a nation, in which every citizen belongs, participates and prospers," Modi said.

Modi cites Gandhi, Nehru, Manmohan Singh

Prime Minister Modi cited his predecessors Jawaharlal Nehru and Manmohan Singh to highlight the connected histories of India and the UK during his historic address to British MPs.

"So much of the modern history of India is linked to this building. So much history looms across our relationship," Modi said.

"I will only say that many freedom fighters of India found their calling in the institutions of Britain. And, many makers of modern India, including several of my distinguished predecessors, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Dr Manmohan Singh, passed through their doors," he said amid criticism from the opposition that Modi in his speeches ignored the legacy of Nehru and the Congress party in India's progress.

Modi thanked Commons Speaker John Bercow for opening the doors of the Royal Court to him despite the Parliament is not in session.

"On the way to this event, Prime Minister (David) Cameron and I paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi outside the Parliament. I was reminded of a question I was asked on a tour abroad. How is it that the statue of Gandhi stands outside the British Parliament?

"To that question, my answer is: The British are wise enough to recognise his greatness; Indians are generous enough to share him; we are both fortunate enough to have been touched by his life and mission; and, we are both smart enough to use the strengths of our connected histories to power the future of our relationship," he said.

Some humour

Prime Minister Modi left the British MPs and their peers in splits a few times during his address at the Parliament's Royal Gallery here as he entwined his speech with humour invoking David Beckham to Bhangra rap.

Modi left the house cracking as he said, "I know that the Parliament is not in Session. Prime Minister Cameron looks relaxed and relieved".

He went on to remind Prime Minister Cameron the slogan -- 'Phir ek baar, Cameron Sarkar' -- used by him in the British
elections earlier this year.

"I want to remind you, Mr Prime Minister, that you owe me royalty for an election slogan," he said.

Modi further said, "There are many things on which it is hard to tell anymore if they are British or Indian: The Jaguar or the Scotland Yard, for example. The Brooke Bond tea or my friend late Lord Ghulam Nun's curry.... And, we love the Bhangra rap from London just as you like the English novel from India."

The prime minister said the strongest debates are whether the Lord's pitch swings unfairly or the wicket at Eden Gardens cracks too early.

Noting that he will be visiting Wembley, which has the iconic football ground where he will be addressing Indian diaspora, Modi said, "Even in India, every young footballer wants to bend it like Beckham".

Images: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses members of Parliament. Photographs: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters