Thousands of rapturous supporters on Monday flocked to hear a public address by Narendra Modi on the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Australia in 28 years, many declaring their love for him. In a replay of the crowd and the euphoria at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Modi was cheered lustily by an over 16,000-strong gathering of the Indian diaspora at Sydney’s Allphones Arena, where he promised to fulfill their expectations of a resurgent India.
He also asked the Indian diaspora to extend their support to the Swachchh Bharat campaign and build toilets. He said they can contribute significantly in developing the villages they come from. “I request you to contribute. God has given you so much.”
Speaking at a breakfast meeting hosted by Queensland Prime Minister Campbell Newman where several Australian business leaders were present, Modi wooed Australian investors to India, saying the environment that is prevailing in the country is “welcoming” and easy to do business, besides having transparent and predictable policies.
“You will begin to find a difference in India,” Modi said, asserting that his Government is focused on eliminating unnecessary laws and
regulations, and making processes easier.
Modi, who arrived in Sydney from Brisbane earlier in the day after attending the G20 summit meeting, spoke for an hour at the Allphones Arena where people wore T-shirts with Modi photos emblazoned on them. Hundreds of fans had arrived by the “Modi Express” train from Melbourne in the morning.
To deafening chants of “Modi, Modi” interrupting his speech, the Prime Minister, attired in a white kurta pyjama with a blue sleeveless jacket to match, also promised the diaspora visa on arrival and merging of the Person of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards by January.
Speaking in Hindi, Modi said there was no reason for India to lag behind any longer. “Do you believe that the country can rise again, become powerful and capable of helping other countries again,” he asked to loud cheers from the crowd.
“Modi’s a rock star!” screamed one supporter as the Prime Minister took the stage to a wildly enthusiastic reception. “This love, this welcome... I give this to the feet of the children of mother India,” Modi said, observing that many people were still outside, unable to gain access to the packed venue.
Modi drew cheers from the crowd when he referenced the two nations’ shared passion, saying neither “Australia nor India can live without cricket”.
“He is our most charismatic leader and he is going to take our country to the next generation,” Sushil Chaddha, an IT consultant who has lived in Australia for three decades, told AFP in stifling heat outside Sydney’s Olympic Park.
“Modi fever grips Sydney,” the Canberra Times said in a headline on Sunday. “The city will get a dose of Modi-mania when the Indian Prime Minister makes a quick-fire, high-energy visit,” the newspaper said in a report in its online edition.
Modi assured a visa on arrival facility for Australian tourists and announced a two-month deadline for the long-pending merger of the PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) status to woo the Indian diaspora from whom he sought support for his ambitious Clean India campaign.
He took a dig at the previous Governments saying while they were happy to make laws he was “happier to remove” them. “let’s open the windows let fresh air come in,” Modi said referring to his Government’s efforts to weed out obsolete laws.
Touched by the grand reception, Modi said he was honoured and humbled and will never forget this day. “I know that behind this affection lies expectations. Yes. We want to create the India you are dreaming of.”
“This welcome, this respect, this enthusiasm I dedicate it to the people of India,” said Modi, the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Australia in 28 years.
He referred to Swami Vivekananda’s dream of seeing Mother India as a ‘Vishva Guru’ once again, and said he believed that dream would be a reality. “Do you share the dream”, he asked the cheering crowd.
The Prime Minister exhorted people to recognise the strength of India’s democracy. “let us now do all we can for India’s benefit. And then India will work for the benefit of mankind,” he said.
The Prime Minister also stressed on the Clean India campaign saying that more tourists would come if the country was cleaner.
He also asked the Indian diaspora to extend their support to the campaign and said they can contribute significantly in developing the villages they come from. “I request you to contribute. God has given you so much.”