Pluralism India's tremendous social strength, PM Narendra Modi writes in The Economist

NEW DELHI: Against the backdrop of a raging nationwide debate on "intolerance", Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that India has tremendous social strengths, with pluralism being on top of that list.

In an article for the prestigious The Economist magazine, whose excerpts were tweeted by its Paris-based correspondent on Wednesday, Modi has written, "India has tremendous social strengths, including pluralism..."

It is for the second time in 10 days that Modi has touched upon issues relating to India's diversity and pluralism, as his government faces criticism for not checking the voices of intolerance and intimidation raised by a section of the BJP and its affiliate organisations against the minorities.

The 30th edition special issue of the magazine, which includes caricatures of world leaders including Modi with the title "The World in 2016", also has contributions from International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde and Nobel Peace laureate Malala Yousafzai.

In his article, the Prime Minister has referred to the "great expectations" from his government, which completes 18 months next week. "There is a sense of great expectation from our government. Inevitably, some of these expectations run ahead of us," he wrote.

Modi has also touched upon the impact of India's growth on environment. "We are conscious that our growth...will have some environmental impact," he said, days ahead of the Climate Change summit in Paris.

Last week, during his three-day trip to the UK, Modi had stressed on India's diversity, calling it the country's "strength and pride". He also underlined the importance of peaceful co-existence.

"India is full of diversity. This diversity is our pride and it is our strength. Diversity is the speciality of India." he said, adding that despite the country "being home to diverse religions, over 100 languages and 1,500 dialects", Indians have proved how to live together.