In London PM Modi condemns sexual assault of women, asks people not to politicise such incidents

The Prime Minister, who is on a three-nation tour, was addressing  the Indian diaspora at an event ‘Bharat Ki Baat, Sabke Saath’ in London.

He also  tore into Pakistan and referred to it as a ‘terror export factory’. He claimed that after the 2016 surgical strikes, the Indian government tried calling Pakistan to let them know about the strikes.

“A rape is a rape. How can we tolerate this exploitation of our daughters? it is an evil of not just the individual but also of the society; nobody can tolerate such incidents and it should not be politicised ," Modi said.

"Can we compare the number of rapes in different governments? We can’t say there were this many rapes in our government and that many in yours. There cannot be a worse way to deal with this issue,” the PM said  while referring to the recent incidents of sexual assault on minor girls, which have triggered a huge uproar across India.

He recalled stating at his first Independence Day address that questions should be asked of sons about their actions and whereabouts, not only of daughters.

Rape, he said, was a matter of shame for a country: “This is a matter of great concern for the country and these sinners are somebody’s sons...The rape is a matter of worry, a shame for the country.”

Insisting that India has changed after his government came to power,  Modi warned Pakistan against exporting terror, saying in such events India will give a fitting reply.

“Those who like exporting terror, I want to tell them that India has changed and their antics will not be tolerated anymore. This is Modi. When someone has put a terror export factory in place and makes attempts to attack us from the back, Modi knows how to answer in the same language,” Modi said.

"We believe in peace. But we will not tolerate those who like to export terror. We will give back strong answers and in the language they understand. Terrorism will never be accepted," he said.

Referring to the surgical strike the Indian Army conducted across the border in 2016, the PM recalled that India first informed Pakistan about the strikes before announcing them to the media.

“I said before India gets to know, we should call Pakistan and tell them. We were calling them since 11 am but they were scared to come on phone, at 12 we spoke to them and then told the Indian media,” he said.

Speaking on poverty and backwardness in India, Modi said he know what it is to be poor and needs no bookish knowledge about it. "I do not need to read books to understand poverty. I have lived in poverty, I know what it is to be poor and belong to the backward sections of society. I want to work for the poor, the marginalised and the downtrodden."

"18,000 villages did not have electricity. So many women do not have access to toilets. These realities of our nation did not let me sleep. I was determined to bring about a positive change in the lives of India's poor."

""We have a million problems, but we have a billion people who can solve them."

"My problem is not against criticism. To criticise, one has to research and find proper facts. Sadly, it does not happen now. What happens instead is allegations." "Democracy cannot succeed without constructive criticism... I want this government to be criticised. Criticism makes democracy strong," Modi said.

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, PM Modi met UK  Prime Minister Theresa May at her official residence on 10, Downing Street. During the meeting, the Prime Minister raised the issue of economic offenders like Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya who have sought refuge in Britain. On the other hand, welcoming Modi, May said she was hopeful they could work together in a way that was beneficial for the people of India and UK both.