PM Modi lauds Indian diaspora for advancing bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday that India will open a consulate in Brisbane to fulfil the long-pending demand of the diaspora. Modi made the announcement while addressing a packed Qudos Bank Arena here. The event was also attended by his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese. India currently has three consulates in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. Brisbane currently has an Honorary Consulate of India. “It was an absolute delight connecting with the Indian diaspora at the community programme,” Modi said at the event attended by more than 21,000 people from across Australia.

A street in Australia was officially renamed “Little India” on Tuesday by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese during a special community event here. Harris Park is a hub in Western Sydney where the Indian community celebrates festivals and events such as Diwali and Australia Day. The announcement to declare Harris Park as ‘Little India’ was made by Australian Prime Minister Albanese as he welcomed Modi at the community event.

Modi praised the Indian diaspora for advancing bilateral ties. “The strongest and biggest foundations of this relationship are actually mutual trust and mutual respect, and the real reason behind this is the Indian diaspora,” he added, amid big applause and chants of Modi-Modi. Prime Minister Modi said that there was a time when the 3Cs were used to define relations between India and Australia. These three were Commonwealth, Cricket, and Curry. “After that, it was 3Ds: Democracy, Diaspora, and Dosti! Then it became the 3 E’s: energy, economy, and education. But the truth is that the actual depth of the relationship between India and Australia transcends these C, D, and E.Modi said.

Modi also interacted with prominent Australian public figures working in diverse fields like science, artificial intelligence, social work, art, and music and encouraged them to contribute to strengthening the India-Australia relationship. Modi arrived in Sydney on Monday for the third and final leg of his three-nation tour.

The event was also attended by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “You make our nation and our shared communities better. You make Australia stronger,” Albanese said at the event as he praised the community. Playing up India and Australia’s connections, Albanese said he wanted to see the relationship between the two countries continue to grow, including in the business and education sectors.