"Narendra Modi is the most progressive and secular PM in history of Independent India," says NID chief

Melbourne [Australia], April 24 : At the Vishwa Sadbhawana event organised at Bunjil Palace, Melbourne in Australia on Sunday, chief patron of NID Foundation, Satnam Singh Sandhu, lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for being the "most progressive and secular PM in the history of independent India."
Sandhu also presented the book 'heartfelt legacy to the faith' which is on the contributions and works done by PM Modi for the Sikh community.
"Under the leadership of PM Modi, India in the last nine years has rapidly advanced on its path to be a developed nation and has become the world's fifth largest economy. Like many other countries, all the communities in India enjoy full freedom and are given all opportunities without any discrimination of caste, creed, or religion and feel safe under the leadership of PM Modi," he said.
Sandhu, founder of the NID foundation while addressing the conference said that people belonging to different communities and religions have lived in India for centuries and we all believe in communal harmony.
While lauding the Modi government, he said that there is a clear difference between the developmental work that was carried out in the last 9 years in the country and the work done during the 65 years before that.

Sadbhawana event is an initiative started by the NID Foundation taking the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' calling the whole world as 'one family', to every corner of the world.
The event was attended by religious leaders, intellectuals, scholars, preachers and researchers.
The spiritual leader of the Namdhari community, Satguru Uday Singh said that religion unites everyone and religion's meaning is love and peace.
"The world has made immense development in every field but it gets true peace only through religion," he said, adding that it is the duty of all of us not to fight but join hands for world peace.
"We should focus on religious harmony and world peace, transcending regional differences and inspire everyone to do so," Singh said, adding that it never promotes discrimination of any kind.
Ambassador Manpreet Vohra, high commissioner of India to Australia, said that PM Modi has transformed the global image of India. Now India's voice on various global issues is heard. Every Nation of the world looks up to India for its issues and support.
"India is part/ partner of every important global grouping bilateral, multilateral like QUAD. All this has been possible due to the recent development that has taken place during the last decade. India is an important component for the world's future," he said, adding that this year as India is holding the presidency of G-20.
The logo of G-20, which India has devised also drives its inspiration from the concept 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". The logo says 'One world, one family, one future.'
He also said that NID Foundation is taking forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi's idea of Sadbhawna or world peace all around the world.
The Sadbhavana event was organised by Indian Minorities Foundation (IMF), NID Foundation, New Delhi and Namdhari Sikh Society, Melbourne in Australia.
Speaking on the sidelines of Sadbhavana, Australian Member of Parliament (MP), Jason Wood, who is the shadow minister for Community Safety, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs, Australia said, "This was a fabulous event to have all the religious leaders together with one voice of peace and harmony. It was wonderful to see so many faith leaders talk about the need for world peace. It is important to have religious leaders sending positive messages around the world."
He also said that besides the Australian community, the Indian Australian community is very excited about PM Modi's forthcoming visit to Australia.
"We admire PM Modi's ability to respect all people and the spirit of working together and his humbleness. Under his leadership, India now is being regarded as having entrepreneurs and where your hard work is rewarded," Jason Wood said.
A member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Victoria, Dr Tariq Butt, who is from Pakistan and now lives in Australia said that this event is a great initiative and uniting Hindu and Muslim communities together and bringing them on one platform. He said that PM Modi is doing the right thing by encouraging the communities to engage with other communities to promote harmony and peace.
"PM Modi has the charisma where people are following him regardless of their religious inclination which is good," he said.
Taha Shakir from the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the new campus of Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy at Marol in Mumbai told us that he is visiting the campus as a 'family member.'
Philip James Huggins, the bishop of the Anglican Church of Australia, said that the Sadbhawna event had the spirit of friendship and love.
Brahma Smaran Das, representative of Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) said, "Inter-faith harmony is the greatest necessity of our age, which can only be achieved through personal transformation leading to global transformation. It is when the message of peace, respect and acceptance reaches every individual, the whole world will become one."
Srinivasan from the Hindu Temple of Victoria said, "Vishwa Sadbhavna has brought representatives of different faiths on a common platform who believe in universal peace, one family, one world, and one future."
Sitesh Bhojani, BAPS Trustee Australia said, "PM Modi is not uniting India as a country but he is taking the entire world as one family. He has changed the global image of the country and has also been instrumental in taking Indian Culture, Practices and Civilizations spread through YOGA, which today is practised and celebrated in 120 countries through International Yoga Day."
Abhijeet Bhide, a Member of Hindu Council Australia, said, "Events like Sadbhavna can counter the anti-social and anti-India events happening across the world, where religious leaders of different communities can come together on a common platform to deliver the message of communal harmony to the people of their respective community."