IANS/Chennai

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi yesterday said “India’s foreign policy should be built on the foundation of our culture, tradition, strength, economy, trade, strategy and security.”

Delivering the Nani Palkhivala memorial lecture here on “India and the World”, Modi stressed that foreign policy should be drawn up with inputs from states. He wondered why each Indian state was not given one foreign country to develop better relationship with.

He said the country’s freedom struggle was not just about getting independence from British rule but a global anti-colonial movement and “these principles should shape our foreign policy”.

Paying glowing tributes to Palkhivala, Modi said the late lawyer as India’s ambassador to the US was able to generate respect for India.

According to Modi, India’s foreign policy should be based on security and strategy which Atal Bihari Vajpayee showed when he was prime minister.

Recalling the nuclear tests carried out by India during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) regime under Vajpayee, Modi said these were followed by international economic sanctions.

“Many nations would have been scared of such sanctions. But Vajpayee’s political will enabled the country carry out another test two days later showing the way of “shanti” (peace) and “shakti” (power),” Modi said.

“It shows the leadership quality, political will and the commitment to security. Vajpayee even convinced Japan which is very sensitive when it comes to nuclear explosions,” Modi added.

According to him, Vajpayee could do so because he had the nation’s confidence and the people’s trust.

Despite the sanctions, the economy or the rupee did not suffer, Modi pointed out.

“Today, the rupee is in ICU (intensive care unit). I do not know why Tamil people sent people like him to Delhi,” Modi obliquely referred to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, without naming him.

Commenting on the terror attacks that India suffered, Modi said Vajpayee made terrorism a global issue and the world was divided into two - countries that were against terrorism and nations which supported terrorism.

“Terrorism divides while tourism unites people,” Modi said to audience applause.

According to Modi, the country should focus on growing the tourism sector. India did not have a significant presence in the $3tn global tourism market, he said.

Coming down heavily on the United Progressive Alliance’s foreign policy, Modi said the government was merely satisfied with issuing press notes even when China carries out incursions into the country and Pakistan beheads Indian soldiers.

Arguing the country’s foreign policy should be driven by people in the country and not by a few who sit in Delhi, Modi said the culture and economy of different states could be leveraged for a global position.

He also demanded holding of international conferences in different states rather than in Delhi. This will result in improvement of infrastructure and even the outlook of government servants in these states, he claimed.

The BJP leader said people of Indian origin are present in several countries and they have to be engaged effectively and taken care of when in trouble.