Modi's idea of secularism

Gujarat CM speaks to the Indian diaspora in US I agree friends that as an Indian, as a citizen who loves India, you will also agree with my definition...We might do any work or take any decision, India should be supreme. Nothing less than India's wellbeing should be our goal. And if this happens, secularism will automatically run in our blood. A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A

--Narendra Modi Washington: Denied a visa to visit US and smarting under a Wharton snub, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his idea of secularism was "India First" and people would forgive "mistakes" of a government if it served them well."My definition of secularism is simple: 'India First'. Whatever you do, wherever you work, India should be the top priority for all its citizens," Modi said as he took to video conferencing to address the Indian-American community. "Country is above all religions and ideologies," he argued and asked people to follow the same. "I agree friends that as an Indian, as a citizen who loves India, you will also agree with my definition...We might do any work or take any decision, India should be supreme," he said in his nearly an hour-long speech in Hindi. "Nothing less than India's wellbeing should be our goal. And if this happens, secularism will automatically run in our blood," he said.He said if a government served the people selflessly, then they would forgive its mistakes as well. "When we get a mandate of five years, we must work on that and serve people selflessly. If we do that then people will forgive our mistakes as well," Modi said. Modi, who often faced questions over the killing of Muslims in the 2002 post-Godhra riots that claimed over 1,200 lives, did not refer to the controversial issue. He was denied US visa on the issue of human rights violation. Last week, the Wharton India Economic Forum cancelled Modi's keynote address to the prestigious annual event because of opposition from a section of professors and students of the University of Pennsylvania. But, Modi did not touch upon the controversial Wharton issue. Several hundred people gathered at two places - Edison in New Jersey and Chicago - to listen to Modi's speech. In his address, Modi emphasised on skilled development of the youth - who now constitute 65 per cent of the total population of the country -- and asked the diaspora to help in holistic development of India - tourism being one of them. He said that being the world's most youthful nation, it is our duty to provide skills to our youth so that they can shine. During the speech, Modi avoided being highly critical of the UPA Government at the Center but compared the budget being allotted by the Center and by his Gujarat Government for the skill development of the youth of the country. "This shows the priorities of the two governments," he said.