India not hungry for anyone's land, says Prime Minister

India has not attacked any country and is neither hungry to grab anyone's land, but its men have made the supreme sacrifice of fighting for the national cause and others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

His comments came in the backdrop of Pakistan's constant clamour for highlighting the Kashmir issue at the international fora.

"India has not attacked anyone. It is neither hungry for land. But in the two World Wars (in which India had no direct stake), 150,000 Indian soldiers had laid down their lives," the Prime Minister said at the inauguration ceremony of the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra.

Modi said the Indian community abroad did not believe in indulging in politics or grabbing power in foreign lands.

They, on the other hand, mingle with other communities by following the principle of social well being.

He lamented that despite the great price, the country could not make the world realise the importance of its sacrifice. He said whenever he was abroad, he made it a point to visit the memorials for the Indian soldiers.

The Prime Minister said the Indian community can contribute to the cause. He said Indians settled abroad do not indulge in politics and neither do they believe in grabbing power there. Indians, Modi noted, lived abroad with the principle of "social well being."

"They are like water. They change their colour and shape as per need," he said.

The Prime Minister said there were countries where the Indian community was more powerful than the Indian missions and could help removing the "fear of unknown" amongst the people there towards India.

While much was spoken about brain drain, if the strength of the Indian diaspora was channelised, "we can convert it into 'brain gain'," he said.

Like dams channelise the energy of water to make electricity, a source is required to utilise the energy of the 24.5-million strong Indian diaspora to "light up India", Modi said.

He also commended the role of the Ministry of External Affairs in helping people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake and pulling out Indians and other nationals from hotspots like Yemen.

Modi said India has made a place for itself and the world now accepts India as a major contributor in extending humanitarian aid and added that other nations now sought Indian help in pulling out their citizens from trouble spots.