Terming last year's communal riots in Gujarat as an aberration, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani on Sunday asserted that the state would not allow its reputation to be sullied by the adverse propaganda unleashed by forces at home and abroad.
"Do not believe in and do not be swayed by all that you have been reading about Gujarat in the past year or so. Yes, a sad and unfortunate episode took place. But it was an aberration," Advani told investors while delivering the inaugural speech at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit.
The event is aimed at attracting foreign investment in Gujarat and a slew of activities, including a three-day exhibition cum convention on garments and jewellery at Surat.
"Gujarat will learn the right lessons and will move ahead," he said adding the state will not let the "deliberate, motivated and continuing" attempts to sully its image, tar its reputation and hurt its self-respect to succeed.
"Gujarat is doing all this (organising such events) to send out a deliberate message to the rest of the world to counter the sustained propaganda being conducted at home and abroad."
Following the riots, questions are being raised about the country being secular and this line of questioning is damaging not just the state but the country as well, Advani said. "I consider it as an insult to me, to India and my understanding of India."
Advani asked the state government to pay a greater attention to higher and professional education. He said there was a need to set up high-quality institutions in diverse areas with the help of the private sector and make conscious efforts to improve its standing in Information Technology, IT-enabled services, bio-Technology and other knowledge-driven enterprises.
Referring to the strengthening of public-private partnerships, he said the belief that politicians were agents of corporate giants is a thing of the past and that such ventures were needed for the country to be a global power.
Others present on the occasion included Union IT, Communications and Divestment Minister Arun Shourie, Union Petroleum Minister Ram Naik, Chief Minister Narendra Modi, FICCI president A C Muthaiah and Union Minister of State for Home Harin Pathak.
