'I Have No Reaction. I Believe Only In Action'

An attempt has been made to put a black mark on the face of mother India.Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has responded in the most appropriate manner. This is not a question of one individual, but of the pride ofIndia.

The US administration has bowed to the pressures of an anti-India lobby of NGOs.The Indian community in the US should counter the misinformation campaign by these groups.I sympathise with you, I can understand how you feel (about the visa denial).

It is unfortunate that theocratic states and military dictatorships are scoring better in international diplomacy. You will have to ensure that opinions about your motherland are not formed on the basis of propaganda but after verification of facts.

You will have to ensure that decisions about your beloved country are not taken on the basis of the contentions of a handful of vested interests or motivated groups.

Freedom does not only mean allowing people to shout in a way that the other voices cannot be heard.The principles of democracy are based on justice and the course of justice necessarily involves the process of naturaljustice.

India has a great past and today it is at the threshold of a great future. You are the carriers and protectors of Indian pride. Remember, you are the very best in the world, in business, in enterprise, in innovation, in every way. No one can match our spirit of cooperation, courtesy andhospitality.

I request all of you to become ambassadors of India's rich heritage and traditions. The guiding principles of our culture have been 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam' (the whole world is a family) and 'sarve bhavantu sukhina' (may all beings behappy).

Gujarat represents the very best of India. It is one of the most progressive and promising states in the country. Our diversified industrial and commercial base, robust infrastructure and vibrant quality of life has attracted people to the state from India andabroad.

You have to make India an investment locale and global hot spot. Gujarat is a state withrobust and world class infrastructure, effective water management policy and a gas-basedeconomy.

There is sufficient scope of investments in the state with several Special Economic Zones, apparel parks, marine biotechnology parks and pharmaceuticals and agro-productindustries. Gujarat in the recent years has earned several accolades, including awards from the World Bank and United Nations, for goodgovernance.

I promise that this country and Gujarat remain yours as it ever was. I am here once again to assure you that your state is becoming a global destination, a place where not only professionals and businessmen but also the global community at large will love to come andstay.

I would like to thank my friends in the US. Normally, the programme is cancelled if the invited guest does not arrive, but they went ahead with the programme and arranged for the videoconferencing. One can reach anywhere in the world thanks to the moderntechnology.

On March 20 (at the Swabhiman rally)

I am not warning USA. But they should not forget that a man from Gujarat was thrown out of a train in South Africa. This led to a movement that overthrew the Britishempire, they should not forget that the frail looking Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi shook the foundation of the Britishers because of the insult

Whether the US administration gives me a visa or not, it will have to explain its action. Today I will unmask its double standards. The US spreads rumours to weaken democratic systems in countries, then attacks them as has happened in Iraq. For ten years they said Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, but even after the attack they have no proof of the weapons’existence.

I used to think that the USA had an amazing network for gathering informationand intelligence. But I was wrong. The WTC attack was a glaring example. The country was caught napping. The US iswielding the stick on selective information gathered by its network. It seems the same yardstick has been applied in my case.

The Bush administration revoked his visa because it is perturbed about economic reasons like the fact that theoil pipeline from Iran would pass through Gujarat and because I had signed an MoU with gas-rich Astrakhan, a part of the erstwhile USSR.The US was afraid all this would lead to Gujarat, and in turn India, becoming an economic power.The US is afraid of India emerging as an economic power.

Let us pledge to work for such a day that an American would have to stand in line for entry into Gujarat.

Excerpts from speeches given by the Gujarat chief minister over the last two days.