Sushma Swaraj: 50 radicalised Indian youths have crossed over to other side

New Delhi: Fifty radicalized Indian youth have crossed over to the "other side", but the Indian ethos and culture have ensured that the menace has not taken dangerous proportions in the country, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Wednesday.

The issue of radicalization is not limited to Jammu and Kashmir but other states as well and the entire world too, she said in the Lok Sabha.

Responding to supplementary during the Question Hour, Swaraj said 50 radicalized Indian youth have crossed over to the "other side (us taraf gaye)." She, however, did not specify where they have gone. She said the Centre has already launched an anti- radicalization programme with states to ensure that the youths are not misled.

The minister credited the "Indian ethos and culture for the minimal damage radicalization has caused" in India. She said secularism, the watchful eyes of parents and the belief that violence is not good, have helped the country.

Swaraj told the House that India is set to host a conference of ASEAN nations on de-radicalization but the venue has not yet been finalized. Besides de-radicalization, cross-border terrorism would be the other topic of the conference. Responding to a question, Swaraj said South China Sea was not the subject of the proposed event.

She said the government would consider the "positive" suggestion of Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) that 'ulemas' (Muslim scholars) of ASEAN countries should also be invited as they have successfully helped check radicalization in their respective nations.