Overseas Indians cheer for Modi at rally in Australia’s Sydney
Thousands of overseas Indians cheered Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a campaign-style rally at one of Sydney’s largest sporting arenas.
Modi, visiting Australia for the first time since 2014, will try to use his popularity among expatriate Indians to boost support at home ahead of next year’s general election after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) important state election in the south of Australia. India this month.
Thousands of supporters thronged the 21,000 capacity Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, one of the city’s largest indoor stadiums that has hosted international stars such as Bruce Springsteen and the Backstreet Boys, although there were a significant number of empty seats when Modi’s speech began.
Arriving to cheers from the crowd after a program of song and dance from across India, the Indian leader paid tribute to the many connections between the two countries, from cricket and tennis to films and Indian street food in Sydney.
“Modi is the boss!”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese performed the warm-up act and emcee.
To chants of “Modi! Modes! Modi!”, Albanese introduced his “best friend” to an elated crowd of Indian-Australians, who he praised for making Australia “stronger and more inclusive”.
“The last time I saw someone on stage here was Bruce Springsteen and he didn’t get the welcome Prime Minister Modi has,” Albanese said.
“Prime Minister Modi is in charge!” he said, smiling broadly and boasting that the pair had met six times in the past year.
Australia and India are closer friends and partners than ever before.
Welcome to Australia, Prime Minister @narendramodi. 🇦🇺🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/YgotdFalKm
— Anthony Albanian (@AlboMP) May 23, 2023
It was an unusually personal vote of support for Modi, a Hindu nationalist leader who will be re-elected next year and has been criticized for continuing democratic decline and discrimination against India’s 200 million Muslims and other minorities.
Modi returned to his host’s lavish welcome, offering a long list of interests that bind the two countries: from cricket to curry, from yoga to Masterchef.
“The main basis of our ties is mutual trust and respect,” he said in Hindi, promising that trade between the two countries would double in the next five years.
He also announced the opening of a new consulate in Brisbane.
Modi is known to put on big shows during his overseas travels and has addressed packed stadiums in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries with large expatriate Indian populations.
A Qantas chartered flight, rebranded “Modi Airways,” brought fans from Melbourne, while “Modi Express” was chartered from Queensland, ABC News reported.
At a bilateral meeting on Wednesday, the two leaders will discuss trade and investment, renewable energy and defense and security cooperation.
“Australia and India share a commitment to a stable, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Albanese said in a statement.
Albanians visited India, including Modi’s home state of Gujarat, in March this year on a four-day visit.
India is Australia’s sixth largest trading partner, with approximately 750,000 people in Australia claiming Indian descent. Nearly 90,000 Indian students are enrolled in Australian universities, the largest overseas contingent after China.
Despite his popularity and strong image, Modi is a divisive figure at home and abroad. Critics say religious polarization has increased since his Hindu nationalist BJP came to power in 2014, and the country’s Muslim minority is being marginalized.
According to Elaine Pearson of Human Rights Watch, “the world’s greatest democracy” has become much less free and more dangerous to its critics under Modi.
“The Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has tightened its grip on civil society by using draconian laws to arrest and intimidate activists, journalists, opposition leaders, academics, peaceful protesters and critics of government policies.” , she said.
A BBC documentary, banned in India, questioning Modi’s actions during the Gujarat riots two decades ago will be broadcast on Wednesday at Australia’s parliament building, SBS News reported, citing a group called “We the Diaspora”.
Dozens of people campaigning for an independent state in India’s Punjab province protested outside the site, chanting anti-Modi slogans and waving flags belonging to the so-called Khalistan movement.
Modi, who is known for never addressing a press conference, will not speak to the media during any of his appointments in Australia.