It's time for peace, brotherhood; It's time to walk together: PM Modi

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said terrorism anywhere in the world and in any form is against humanity and asserted that it is time for peace and brotherhood and to move forward while walking together.

He also said that conflicts and confrontations in any part of the world impact everyone and do not benefit anyone, as he called for the world to move forward with a human-centric approach.

Addressing the inaugural session of the ninth G20 Parliamentary Speakers' Summit (P20) here, he also said that we have to remove obstacles in the way of global trust.

Modi said this is the time for peace and brotherhood, and time to move forward together.

His remarks came against the backdrop of a series of brazen attacks on Israeli towns by Hamas militants over the weekend which triggered fresh tensions in the region.

Referring to the attack on Parliament House some 20 years ago, the prime minister said India has been facing cross-border terrorism which has claimed thousands of innocent lives.

He noted that the world was now realising how big a challenge terrorism is. Terrorism anywhere, in whatever manifestation, is against humanity, he said.

The prime minister said that consensus not being achieved on the definition of terrorism was saddening and the enemies of humanity are taking advantage of this situation.

He said Parliaments across the world would have to think how we should work together to combat terrorism.

The prime minister also said that the G20 presidency ensured festivities in India throughout the year and India landing on the moon added to the celebrations.

He said 100 crore voters will cast their vote next year in general elections in India and invited all P20 delegates to visit again next year to witness the polls.

India has conducted 17 general elections and over 300 state assembly polls so far and the general elections in 2019, where his party became victorious for the second time in a row, was the world's biggest election, he noted.

Modi said use of EVMs has boosted transparency and efficiency in the election process and results are now declared within hours of the start of counting of votes.

He also referred to legacy of thousands of years of debates and deliberations in India and said some of our over 5,000-year-old texts also talked about such systems.

The event is being attended by Speakers of Parliaments of G20 members and invitee countries. The Pan-African Parliament will take part in the P20 Summit for the first time after the African Union became a member of G20 at the New Delhi G20 Leaders' Summit last month.

The thematic sessions during this P20 Summit will focus on four subjects of transformation in people's lives through public digital platforms, women-led development, accelerating SDGs and sustainable energy transition.