Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
International

Narendra Modi Connects With Indian Diaspora In Ireland, Promises More Visits

IANS, 23 Sep, 2015 11:54 AM
    Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday connected with a rapturous Indian diaspora in Dublin, promising more prime ministerial visits to Ireland in future.
     
    Modi, who is on a day-long visit to Ireland, in his address to a crowded reception by the Indian diaspora apologised for not being able to give the Indian-origin people more time.
     
    Taking a dig at previous governments for not having visited Ireland earlier, Modi said "There are many who would remember that sometime (in the distant past) an Indian prime minister came to Ireland" evoking laughter from the rapturous crowd.
     
    Modi's visit is the first prime ministerial visit in 59 years.
     
    In a veiled dig at previous Congress-led governments, he said that every year when Indian dignitaries fly to the US, they have to fly via Ireland, implying that earlier the leaders did not bother to visit the country.
     
    "When people have to go from Delhi to New York, they have to fly this way. But your love for me drew me here, and pulled me down from the sky," he said to loud cries of "Modi, Modi".
     
    Modi said he spoke at length with Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny and had a very good meeting and there were many areas of convergence between the two sides.
     
    "I think Ireland-India relations should be mere stronger," he said.
     
    Modi said that in 2016, when Ireland celebrates the centenary of its independence, India would also participate in the celebrations.
     
    Modi congratulated the Irish children who recited Sanskrit shlokas in his welcome.
     
    In another veiled dig at the opposition, Modi said "I congratulate the children for reciting Sanskrit shlokas. In Ireland, we can do it, but in India if we did this, then so many questions would be raised on secularism issues", evoking loud laughter.
     
     
    He said that "now there is a change", and that people across the world have accepted yoga as a way to healthcare.
     
    "The entire world is following yoga - for holistic healthcare, preventive health care. Now yoga is connected to wellness too."
     
    On India's growing stature, Modi said countries were now increasingly paying attention to India.
     
    In another jibe at previous governments, he said that earlier people while referring to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) would talk of "B,R,C and S, as the 'I' (India) had fallen off the map," he said, evoking titters among the gathering.
     
    Modi said that now the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund were saying that "in BRICS, if there is any one strong factor it is I (India)."
     
    He said all the rating agencies were saying that India is the fastest growing economy in the world, and "if this trend continues, then in another 30 years, there will be no sign of poverty (in India)".
     
    Modi said India will be able to meet the challenge of keeping the growth rate high, thanks to the strength of its demography of 65 percent of the population aged below 35 years.
     
    He apologised for not having more time to spend with the diaspora.
     
    He later posed for pictures with some of the diaspora members.
     
    Connecting with India's diaspora is a major focus of Modi's trips abroad. Ireland has a 26,000-strong Indian community.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Man Jailed For Attacking British-Indian Pub Owner Jaswinder Singh Thandi In Kent

    Man Jailed For Attacking British-Indian Pub Owner Jaswinder Singh Thandi In Kent
    Jaswinder Singh Thandi was left with a broken finger and a deep cut on his head after Mark Prince tore apart a beer can and assaulted him on March 16 this year

    Man Jailed For Attacking British-Indian Pub Owner Jaswinder Singh Thandi In Kent

    Sacred Stories Of Mythical Battles Just Part Of Summiting B.C.'s Stawamus Chief

    Sacred Stories Of Mythical Battles Just Part Of Summiting B.C.'s Stawamus Chief
      The Stawamus Chief on Canada's West Coast is a world-renowned rock-climbing destination known for its beautiful multi-pitch routes and unrivalled crack-climbing pitches.

    Sacred Stories Of Mythical Battles Just Part Of Summiting B.C.'s Stawamus Chief

    Indian Woman Jailed For Compatriot's Murder After Drunk Sex Claim In Australia

    Indian Woman Jailed For Compatriot's Murder After Drunk Sex Claim In Australia
    New South Wales Supreme Court Justice Helen Wilson handed down the sentence to Manisha Patel, 32, after finding that she intended to kill the victim who became the focus of her "pain and resentment"

    Indian Woman Jailed For Compatriot's Murder After Drunk Sex Claim In Australia

    India's Grand Old Marathon Man Ashis Roy, 83, Takes His Marathon Tally To 145

    India's Grand Old Marathon Man Ashis Roy, 83, Takes His Marathon Tally To 145
    Running his 30th half marathon in the American captal, India's grand old marathon man Ashis Roy has taken his overall tally to 145, including 115 full marathons.

    India's Grand Old Marathon Man Ashis Roy, 83, Takes His Marathon Tally To 145

    Two Indian-Americans Arrested For Of Defrauding 70 People In 32 States Of More Than $150,000

    Two Indian-Americans Arrested For Of Defrauding 70 People In 32 States Of More Than $150,000
    Two Indians have been arrested in the US on charges of defrauding at least 70 people in 32 states of more than $150,000, a media report said.

    Two Indian-Americans Arrested For Of Defrauding 70 People In 32 States Of More Than $150,000

    'Indian Diaspora In The Caribbean Most Vibrant'

    'Indian Diaspora In The Caribbean Most Vibrant'
    The Indian diaspora in the Caribbean is one of the most vibrant across the globe, says India's Minister for External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, in a just published book titled, "India In The Caribbean".

    'Indian Diaspora In The Caribbean Most Vibrant'