New Delhi: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday appreciated the way India effectively unveiled its vision for lasting peace and development for humanity at the United Nations General Secretary (UNGA) and hitout at Pakistan for its mindset of `violence, terrorism and warmongering for short-sight edvested interests`.

Addressing a gathering after presenting the 20th Lal BahadurShastri National Award for Excellence: 2019 to Plant Scientist Dr Manju Sharma,he said that the recent session of UNGA presented a clear choice between peaceful coexistence and pursuit of conflicts bordering on perversion.

"Humanity had to choose the model of statesmanshipshowcased by India to march on the path of peaceful development, rather thanthe brinkmanship-model that has no concern for the larger good ofhumanity," he said in an apparent attack on Pakistan Prime Minister ImranKhan on his speech at UNGA.

Complimenting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking a firmand dignified stand against Pakistan`s "highly condemnable acts",Naidu said that PM Modi championed the cause of peace and prosperity for thelarger good. "It brought out in focus two diametrically opposite visions,statesmanship soaring high in the statement of PM Modi and its opposite ofbrinkmanship stooping too low," the Vice President said.Asserting thatterrorism was the enemy of mankind and that those who aid and abet terror andviolence must be isolated, he said that India continued to firmly adhere to itsvalues of peace, in spite of grave provocation from the neighbour whounabashedly aids and abets terrorism. Pointing out that India, since timeimmemorial has always embraced the values of peace, tolerance, brotherhood andharmony, the Vice President said that India has handled the recent escalationof tensions with remarkable restraint, grace, and poise.

Paying his tributes to Lal Bahadur Shashtri, Naidu said thattall leaders like him firmly believed that peace was the first step toprosperity. He said that their belief, which has deep roots in Indianphilosophy, helped them handle and defuse extraordinarily volatile situationswith ease and poise.

Referring to Shastri`s address to the nation during theIndo-Pak war in 1965, the Vice President said that he proposed peacefulcoexistence to bring an end to conflicts. Asserting that a subcontinent atpeace would benefit all and that constant strife, hostility, conflict andterror drag us all down, Naidu said that Shastri Ji`s words serve as a guidinglight in our efforts to bring peace and prosperity to the sub-continent.

The Vice President asked the youngsters to learn about theexemplary life of Lal Bahadur Shastri and draw inspiration from it to serve thenation with zeal and passion.