Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha L K Advani has said the “soft power” that India exerts across the globe is a matter of great pride but regional imbalances within the country are a matter of concern amidst high economic growth. Advani was speaking at the India Club in Singapore where he is on a visit.The senior BJP leader said the phenomenal growth of Singapore is due to a “national resolve”—a collective will of the people to progress and prosper. Advani said India had also entered a stage of prosperity and the “resurgence has begun” and added that “significant progress” had been achieved particularly in BJP-ruled states.“Gujarat is a prime example of this. It is not only the fastest growing state in India economically, but it has also achieved remarkable progress in improving the human development index of its population,” he said. “There is a big economic and geopolitical shift currently taking place in the world, and India, along with China, is right at the centre of this shift. No discussion about the future architecture of the global economy or global security system is now complete without a reference to India’s place in it,” Advani said. He said Indian films and film music and even the new age gurus had in modern times strengthened India’s traditional links with the rest of the world in culture and philosophy. “I would not be surprised if Rajnikanth’s latest blockbuster Sivaji has been a big hit in Singapore, too—both among people of Indian origin and others. I am told that his films are very popular in Japan,” he said. “India’s ‘new age’ gurus such as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandamayi and others are re-projecting the universal relevance of our cultural and spiritual values,” he said. Advani said it was a matter of great pride for every Indian that the United Nations has recently declared October 2, Gandhiji’s birthday, as International Day of Non-Violence. These were all examples of India’s soft power, the BJP leader said.
