File photo of Lord Swaraj Paul
Lord Swaraj Paul has hit out at "politicians, pundits and the press" of powerful foreign countries for "thrusting" unsolicited advice on India which was quite capable of managing its own affairs.
The recent Lok Sabha elections had "exposed" the "cascade of unsolicited advice that is constantly thrust on India," the NRI industrialist said at a function in London last night.
"As the election has proved, India is quite capable of managing its own affairs without gratuitous suggestions cloaked in the guise of western wisdom," said Paul, the founder-Chairman of the Caparo Group.
He expressed the view that the goal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had speedily begun the task of uplifting 1.2 billion people of India in terms of health, education and personal earnings to make the country a fair society.
He described Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as "a man of great principle and stature who is determined to take India into a more prosperous era" by getting the economy onto a sound footing without resorting to quick-fix solutions.
Inaugurating a one-day Global Indian Excellence Summit and Awards 2014, Paul took the opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister Modi and his government.
Paul received the 'International Icon of the Decade Award' from Prof Malcolm Mcdonald of Cranfield School Management for his outstanding achievements in the fields of manufacturing, education and philanthropy.
In his acceptance speech, Paul dedicated the award to the 1.2 billion Indian people.
In his inaugural speech, he said the recent elections in India re-affirmed the maturity of Indian democracy.
"Almost 600 million people voted without much regard to caste, creed, or sectarianism. Whether someone was Hindu or Muslim, high caste or low caste was largely irrelevant. The primary public focus was on who would be the right persons to deliver the right policies," he said.
Paul said one thing that India must recognise and appreciate is the enduring value of investment in infrastructure and manufacturing against the more transient nature of stock market investment.
The first is of benefit to many, the second of benefit to very few.
Referring to corruption, he said "while India has to curtail its side, those who do business in India have to be more conscious that they should be less part of the problem and more part of the solution."
Corruption, Paul noted, is present in every nation.
"The UK ranks 14th in the Transparency International Directory and despite the passing of the Bribery Act, and measures to improve transparency in government, the perception of experts is that the UK continues to be more vulnerable to corruption than the political establishment is willing to admit. The UK is struggling to remain in the top 20, let alone achieve a place in the top 10," he said.
Noting that many of the issues that are present in the world, in politics and in business, originate from the diminishing power of value systems, Paul, Chancellor of two British Universities, said: "the Modi government needs to bring back high values of leadership, abide by them, and ensure that all citizens are bound by the laws and values that make India great."
He wanted the Government to consider NRIs on a par with the domiciled population.
"NRIs have shown they think more about India than those that live there," he added.