Calling India a ‘haven of safety and security’ despite past problems in Punjab and Kashmir, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today cautioned that any ‘social strife’ in the name of caste and religion can stir emotions and deflect the country from its developmental agenda.
“We saw insurgency in Punjab, in Kashmir and North-East, but fortunately if we see rest of the world, we are still haven of safety and security,” he said.
Delivering a lecture at India Islamic Cultural Centre here, Jaitley also said the resources need to be spent on poverty elimination and infrastructure development to become a developed society, rather than ‘lopsided expenditure only on the security’.
“The faster we become a safer. Insurgency-free society, the better it is for us. Any form of social strife, I think in a race to become a developed society, we have to avoid, he said.
