“India has never coveted any territory, never attacked another country. Yet thousands of Indians gave their lives in the World War I,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi adding that it neither is it hungry to grab anyone’s land, but its men have made the supreme sacrifice fighting for the national cause and others. "We are a nation that has laid down lives for others. During the two World Wars, more than 1.5 lakh Indians became martyrs.

Unfortunately, we have not been very effective in telling this to the world," PM Modi told the audience. After inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a facility dedicated to the Indian community abroad, on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary, PM Modi said India has also fought for others.

He also said, "Brain drain worries can be converted into brain gain if we see the Indian diaspora as a strength rather than counting them just as numbers". The Prime Minister stressed on the need to connect with the diaspora and hailed his predecessor Atal Bihari Vajpayee who "coined idea of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and it has been continued since then".