GUWAHATI, Jan 12 � Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today reiterated the Union Government�s stand of not holding talks with militant outfits indulging in violence.
Addressing the valedictory function of the 19th National Youth Festival 2015 at the Nehru Stadium today, he said that no violence is tolerable anywhere in India, including the North East.
�The country is passing through a critical phase, but we have the power and energy to sail through it and with the world�s largest young population, we hold the capacity to make India a superpower,� he said.
Exhorting the young Indians to follow in the footsteps of Swami Vivekananda, whose 151st birth anniversary coincided with the closing ceremony, he referred to the exploits of Chandrashekhar Azad, Maniram Dewan, Kanaklata and Kushal Konwar, who laid their lives for the country during its freedom struggle.
Singh said that the Union Government�s policies were targeted at bringing the North East into focus and the youth fest and recent all-India DGPs� conference were the beginning.
�People say that the region is disconnected with the rest of India, but for us it is the strong arm of our country, just like Jammu & Kashmir is the crown of India,� he added.
He termed Assam and Guwahati as the highway connecting the region with the country.
However, expressing concern over the growing trend of drug addiction among the youth, he called upon the participants to launch a campaign against it at their peer level.
Curtains came down today on the five-day event that started in Guwahati on January 8. Sporting legends like Sushil Kumar, MC Mary Kom, Jwala Gutta, Dipankar Bhattacharjee, Durga Boro, among others, attended the closing function, where prizes were also distributed to the winners of various competitive events.
Union Minister of State (Independent) for Sports and Youth Affairs Sarbananda Sonowal, State Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore were also present on the occasion.
