Sending a message to the detractors of the reforms process, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said it was time to stop ‘battling ghosts in our mind’ and dissipating energies in "meaningless controversies".
Noting that the Economy has grown close to nine per cent which was unprecedented, Singh said this could be sustained into the future. "But we cannot take that for granted".
In an article published by prominent Marathi daily Sakaal, Singh spoke about the ‘vast unfinished agenda’ of development and reform.
"We cannot assume that the country and the Economy will move forward on their own even if we dissipate our energies in meaningless controversies.
"If all our time and energy is spent battling ghosts in our mind, how can we hope to do the day's work efficiently? and I daresay we have a lot of work waiting to be done," he said in the article in the journal "India and Global Affairs".
"There is a vast unfinished agenda of development and reform that awaits us. We cannot rest on our laurels or take our successes for granted," the economist-Prime Minister said.
Expressing concern about rural development and education, he said that the farming community and all those who lived in rural areas must be equal partners and beneficiaries of the development process.
"We have to improve their standard of living, offer them social security and insurance against risk," he said.
Turning to foreign affairs, Singh said India wanted to regain its due place in the comity of nations as an open Economy and an open society.
India wanted to have normal ties with all countries, big and small, and would always seek good relations with all on terms of equality and mutual respect, he said adding "as a country of over a billion people, India cannot be in any list of exceptional countries as far as global rules, regulations and regimes are concerned".
"What we seek is an end to discrimination. What we seek is equality with other like-minded countries. What we seek are new opportunities for our scientists, for our technologists, for our people. What we seek is to secure our growth prospects by ensuring energy security. What we seek is India's membership to all global councils where the voice of a billion people must and should be heard," Singh said.
Observing that the country's bilateral relations have become more broad-based and wide-ranging with a large number of countries in the past three years, Singh said "India's voice will be heard. India's views will be sought. We must prepare to make use of the emerging opportunities and responsibilities".
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