Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu today called upon the world community to come together to isolate nations that sponsor terrorism and impose sanctions against them.

Expressing his concern over the increasing scourge of terrorism, the Vice President appealed to the United Nations to complete the deliberations and adopt India’s long-pending proposal of the ‘Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism’.

Observing that no country was safe from the scourge of terrorism, he said that the days of platitudes were over and it was time for concrete action. “There is also a need to reform the UN and create a more inclusive and equitable world order,” he added.

Virtually addressing the gathering at an event organised to present Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for Excellence 2020 to Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation for her philanthropic work by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management, Naidu stressed on the need for all the nations, particularly those in South Asia, to come together to promote peace, eradicate poverty, improve socio-economic conditions of the masses and wipe out the menace of terrorism.

The Vice President, while paying rich tributes to former Prime Minister of India, Lal Bahadur Shastri, said that he was a great son of India who rose from a humble beginning to the pre-eminent position of the Prime Minister of India and yet he always maintained simplicity, humility and humanitarian outlook. “He displayed a statesman-like dignity, impeccable integrity and served the nation without ever compromising on high moral values,” he added.

Highlighting one of the important aspects of the personality of Lal Bahadur Shastri, the Vice President said that he had the remarkable ability to communicate effectively and negotiate skillfully. “One of the secrets of his extraordinary success as a negotiator was his ability to see the other man’s point of view. He was always ready to make maximum allowance for another person’s feelings,” he added.

Naidu said that it was due to former Prime Minister’s push to the green revolution and white revolution that the farmers were able to ensure food security and India became the largest producer of milk.