'Don't be obsessed with superpower status'

New Delhi, Nov 17: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today advised against being ''obsessed'' with 'super- power status' as it evoked images of hegemony and aggression, and said India's standing in the world would be determined by the extent to which the weaker sections lead a secure and dignified life at home.

In her inaugural speech at the Fourth Annual Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on 'India : The Next Global Superpower' here, she said India's position in the world would be greatly influenced by its ability to continue to give its people a secure future.

She said India's global pre-eminence would not come from faster GDP growth alone but would depend on how fast employment opportunities, literacy and quality of health is improved.

''I am somewhat uneasy with the very word superpower. For too many of us, it evokes images of hegemony, of aggression, of power-politics, of military might, of division and conflict...Let's not be too obsessed with acquiring super-power status. More and more successes will come our way. They will surely give us the global role that we seek and that we are perfectly equipped to fulfil...'' she said.

Welcoming the ''intense'' political competition in the country, Ms Gandhi said even among this, there was a vast common ground which must be pursued.

''Differences are inevitable...remember our DNA: the Argumentative Indian--but even so, basics can certainly be attended to in a more determined manner. Sustained pressure from civil society will undoubtedly strengthen this process,'' she added.

Ms Gandhi, while acknowledging the achievements of India and Indians, said these successes should stir the collective conscience and strengthen the will to address challenges. She cautioned against the economic successes leading to fake illusions of grandeur and power. ''They should not wrap us in a cocoon of self satisfaction/mayajaal which cuts us off from the day-to-day lives of the vast majority.'' She said India's external strength would derive from internal cohesion and its stature would depend on how successful the country is in making its entire population stakeholders in growth and globalisation.

Calling for reinvigorating the public system, she said more investment and development was needed in agriculture, education, health-care system and infrastructure.

Lamenting the loss of people's trust in rules and governance, Ms Gandhi said cynicism about politics and public institutions had led to a mindset that did not acknowledge many positives of the government.

''We have to find a way of changing these attitudes,'' she added.

UNI