New Delhi: US President Barack Obama today made strong comments promoting religious tolerance in a town hall style meeting as he closed a three-day visit to India.

He spoke on the Indo-US relationship, and the importance of diversity as a democratic value.

Obama said, “The relationship between India and US can be one of the defining partnerships of the century. We are one of the few nations who have gone both to the moon and Mars”, he added.

We must never stop working for the world as it should be – a world without nuclear weapons, that’s our goal, said Obama.

“India and US can work on vaccines to ensure no child dies of preventable disease. In recent years, India has lifted more people from poverty than any other country”, said Obama.

Around 2000 people, mostly youth, were present at the venue, and he had encouraging words for them, “We live in countries where a grandson of a cook can become President and son of a tea-seller can become PM, Our nations are strongest when we empower our young”, he added.

Addressing women issues and equality, Obama said, “I have been treated differently for the color of my skin. Our world is strongest when we uphold the dignity of all, we treat people equally including of our women, not only the government but each one”, he added.

He recalled the the woman officer who commanded his Guard of Honour. “it’s a sign of great pride and strength. Nations are more successful when their women are successful. In US we are still working to ensure women get equal opportunities, in India its the wives and mothers who hold the family together. I’m married to a strong and talented woman. Michelle isn’t afraid to speak her mind or tell me when I’m wrong, which is often”, he added.

“India will succeed as long as it’s not splintered along religious lines,” President Obama referenced his own experience as a minority as he nudged India to fulfil its constitution’s pledge to uphold the “dignity of the individual.”

He said India would succeed “so long as all Indian go to the movies an applaud an actor like Shah Rukh Khan or an athlete like Milkha Singh.”

President Obama said, “Every person have the right to practice their religion and beliefs and not practice if choose so without any persecution. No society is immune from the darkest impulses of men and too often religion has been used to tap into those instead of the light of God. The peace we seek in the world begins in human hearts.” The US president said he desired to share his vision of how the two countries could strengthen their bilateral relationship.

“Today, I want to speak directly to you, the people of India, about what I believe we can achieve together and how we can do it.

“My commitment to a new a chapter flows from the deep friendship between our people. Michelle (the First lady) and I felt it ourselves,” he said in the last public engagement of his three-day state visit to India.

He also propagated the religious tolerance in the country and said, “India will succeed so long as it is not splintered on religious lines.”  He referred to Article 25 of the Indian Constitution. For US and India, our diversity is our strength, we have to guard against the lines trying to divide us, sectarian or any other lines, he concluded

During the visit, Obama was the chief guest at the 66th of the Republic Day parade here Monday.

“With the tricolor above us we celebrated the strength of your constitution… in yesterday’s parade we saw the pride and diversity of this nation,” he said, adding that it was a great honour for him to be the first American president to attend the Republic Day parade.

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