Support for India on Article 370 shows our growing strength: Naqvi

Mumbai: Almost all countries supporting India on scrapping of Article 370, and powerful nations honouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi with their highest civilian awards show the country's "growing strength", Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here on Friday. The Minority Affairs Minister also said that India's "growing prestige" has isolated Pakistan. Naqvi was addressing a campaign meeting for BJP candidate Tamil Selvan and Shiv Sena's Pandurang Sakpal, in the fray from Sion-Koliwada and Mumbadevi seats here, respectively, ahead of October 21 Maharashtra elections.

"The (chief minister Devendra) Fadnavis government has brought Maharashtra out of the atmosphere of corruption, policy paralysis and misrule of the previous Congress-NCP regime," he said. "Nearly all countries supporting India after it scrapped Article 370, or big and powerful countries honouring prime minister Modi with their highest civilian awards, it all clearly establishes India's growing strength across the world," Naqvi was quoted as saying in a statement. He credited Modi with removing "stains of failures" of the 10-year rule of the Congress-led UPA.

The NDA government at the Centre succeeded on several fronts including national security, economy and foreign policy, the minister said. The world now looks at India with a "positive approach", Naqvi said. Major countries of the world are with India in the fight against terrorism, and the world now realizes that Pakistan has become a "factory of terrorism", he said.

On the economy, Naqvi said the foreign exchange reserves have touched a record high of USD 434 billion. India has become the "most attractive and safe" investment and manufacturing hub of the world due to the "historic and big" economic reforms undertaken by the Modi government, he claimed. The decision to cut corporate tax was "historic", and would help India become a 5-trillion dollar economy in the next five years, he said.