PM gifts Gita to Emperor Akihito, jeers at expected comments of ‘secular friends’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday termed his Japan trip as “very successful” and hoped that India’s infrastructure will improve and the country will become clean with the help of $35 billion promised by Japan over five years. Earlier, Modi took a dig at his “secular friends” over his gifting a copy of the holy ‘Bhagvad Gita’ to Japanese Emperor Akihito, saying they could kick up a storm and trigger TV debates back home.
Hardselling India as a manufacturing destination a day after Japan announced a $35 billion investment, Modi invited investors saying the era of “red tape” has been replaced by “red carpet” with ease of doing business and liberalisation in India.
Winding up his official programme on the penultimate day of his five-day visit, Modi expressed gratitude to Japan for reposing “trust” in India and demonstrating its friendship with a quip “yeh fevicol se be zyada mazboot jod hai (this bond is stronger than that of fevicol)”. “This visit has been very successful,” Modi said at the Indian community reception hosted in his honour here.
“There has been talk about billions and millions. But there has never been talk of trillions,” he said, referring to 3.5 trillion Yen ($35 billion) promised by Japan to India through public and private funding over the five years for various works, including building of smart cities and cleanup of the Ganga river. “This is a big achievement. My biggest happiness is that Japan trusted us,” he said at his last official programme after a hectic day of events and meetings.
Talking in the context of trust, he referred to Japan’s decision to lift ban on six Indian entities, including HAl. The ban had been imposed in the aftermath of 1998 nuclear tests. Referring to signing of an MoU under which Varanasi will be cleaned up and developed learning from the experience of Japanese ‘smart city’ Kyoto, Modi said, “we can learn from each other”.
Modi had an audience with Emperor Akihito at the Imperial Palace in Tokiyo on the fourth day of his five-day visit to Japan to strengthen bilateral ties. Addressing the members of the Indian community at a reception in the Japanese Capital, Modi spoke of him carrying a copy of the Gita during the Japan visit for gifting it to the Emperor. “For gifting, I brought a Gita. I do not know what will happen in India after this. There may be a TV debate on this. Our secular friends will create ‘toofan’( storm),” the Prime Minister said.
“I don’t know why, but people create controversies even with such trivial things nowadays, but I have my own commitment and my own conviction that if I meet some great person of the world, I will give it (Gita) and that is why I brought it,” he said. “Today I went to the Maharaja of Japan, I have given one to him. Because I don’t think that I have anything more to give and the world also does not have anything more to get than this,” he said to another round of applause from the assembled gathering.
Addressing Japanese investors at a business symposium organised by Nikkei and Jetro, Japan’s trade promotion body, Modi talked about his vision of ‘Make in India’ and cited the decisions of his 100-day old government to create ease for doing business. “No other country offers such an opportunity” as India, given the fact that it has democracy, demography and demand, Modi said on the fourth-day of his trip.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday broke the security cordon and mingled with a crowd of Indian admirers, shaking hands and giving autographs. Modi was coming out of the Indian Embassy after inaugurating the Vivekanand Centre when he saw a crowd of admirers shouting slogans for him outside the complex.
Instead of getting into his car, he decided to walk out of the complex and meet the people. He shook hands with them and gave autographs to some, giving a personal touch to the event. Modi’s skills as a drummer were on Tuesday on full display here as he joined the Japanese percussionists to perform a ‘jugalbandi’ with them. The 63-year-old leader gave tough competition to the professional drummers as he tried his hand on the drum at an event to launch TCS Japan Technology and Cultural Academy in Tokiyo. He first watched the male and female drummers perform and seemingly was enjoying. Then he moved forward and started beating the drums quite well, much to the amusement of the gathering.