PM unveils Nehru bust in Singapore

Singapore, Nov 20 (IBNS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday unveiled a bust of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru Bust in Singapore.

The PM in the presence of the Emeritus Senior Minister on Singapore, Goh Chok Tong, unveiled the bust and the marker of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, at Asian Civilizations Museum.

Speaking on the occasion, the PM said: "Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was not just India's first Prime Minister. He was a visionary, scholar and the builder of modern India. He was a humanist and an internationalist, and a champion of the post-colonial world."

"Singapore today is an embodiment of human progress and the spirit of internationalism. Jawaharlal Nehru was prescient when he said in 1946 that Singapore will become the city where Asian unity is forged. We are witnessing such unity being forged," the PM said.

"Singapore's great cultural and intellectual institutions are playing a vital role in this process. I therefore most warmly congratulate the National Heritage Board of Singapore on this initiative, and wish it all success in its future activities.

"In honouring Pandit Nehru today, you honour India and all the values that India stands for - secularism, democracy, freedom and the rule of law," he said.

He said these are the values that continue to unite our two nations today.

"The Bust and Commemorative Marker will serve as a symbol of our friendship and our respect for each other's achievements. In celebrating our past, we enhance understanding of each other's cultures, inspire the younger generation and better prepare ourselves for the future," he said.

The PM said there is a lot that India can learn from Singapore.

This Bust and Marker will stand as yet another symbol of the close relations between India and Singapore, and will inspire even greater interest about each other among our peoples, he said.