Temple vandalism in Australia not acceptable, says PM Modi after returning home

Referring to the surge in incidents of temple vandalism in Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the world agrees with him when he says that the “attack on pilgrimage sites is not acceptable.”

While addressing a public gathering on Thursday in Delhi as he arrived in the national capital, concluding his three-nation visit, PM Modi said that the “world is eager to listen” to him as and when he tries to raise such an issue. “I want to tell you that while speaking about the culture and great tradition of India, never get immersed in a slave mentality, speak with courage. The world is eager to listen. The world agrees with me when I say that attack on our pilgrimage sites is not acceptable,” he said.

Earlier in the morning, PM Modi arrived at Palam airport in Delhi after concluding his three-nation visit to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Concluding the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, today the world wants to know what India is thinking.

PM Modi said, “The people here asked me why I gave the vaccines to the world. I want to say that this is the land of Buddha, Gandhi. We care even for our enemies… Today the world wants to know what India is thinking.”

He also spoke about India’s growing stature in the world and how it is being respected globally and said that this confidence comes from forming an absolute majority and thanked the people for reposing faith in his government.

“When I talk about the culture of my country, I look into the eyes of the world. This confidence has come because you have formed a government with an absolute majority in the country. Those who have come here are people who love India, not PM Modi,” he added.

Upon his arrival earlier today, the Prime Minister was garlanded by BJP National President JP Nadda and party members at the airport.

Appreciating PM Modi, BJP national President said, “The world appreciates your governance model. US President Joe Biden asked for your autograph, this shows how the world is seeing India under your leadership.”

“The way the PM of Papua New Guinea touched your feet, shows how much respect you have there. The people of India feel proud when they see that our Prime Minister is being welcomed like this,” he said.

A large number of BJP workers and supporters also gathered outside Palam airport to welcome PM Modi.

PM Modi further talked about the release of the Tok Pisin translation of the book ‘Thirukkural’ in Papua New Guinea and said, “Tamil language is our language. It is the language of every Indian. It is the oldest language in the world. I had the opportunity to release the Tok Pisin translation of the book ‘Thirukkural’ in Papua New Guinea.”

At 11 am on Thursday PM Modi will flag off the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi via video conferencing. Amongst the other meetings throughout the day, the PM will declare open Khelo India University Games 2022 at 7 pm via video conferencing tomorrow evening.

During his three-day visit, PM Modi held bilateral talks with his Australian counterpart and also addressed a historic community programme. He also met several business leaders and eminent Australians.

Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, the venue for the community event, saw thousands of overseas Indians, many of whom flew in a special “Modi Airways” to attend PM Modi’s address in Australia.

At the community event, Australian PM Albanese compared PM Modi’s mass appeal with that of the famed rockstar Bruce Springsteen who incidentally is famed among his fans as “The Boss.”

“The Indian diaspora event in Sydney was not only attended by the Australian PM but also by former PM, MPs from opposition parties, and the ruling party. This is the strength of democracy. All of them together participated in this program of the Indian community,” said PM Modi to the gathering at Palam Airport.

The three-nation visit has been action-packed, to say the least. Throughout his visit, the PM held meetings with more than 12 global leaders. He participated in three summits and participated in more than 50 engagements.

PM Modi left Delhi for Japan last Friday, May 19 for Japan. From there he reached Papua New Guinea on Sunday and then went on to his final destination Sydney in Australia.

This was an eventful visit through all of its legs in all three nations,

In Japan, PM Modi met several world leaders during the G7 Summit and discussed various issues with them. This included US President Joe Biden and Ukraine President Zelenskyy and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak amongst others.

Prime Minister Modi also participated in the third in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit in Hiroshima, Japan on May 20, 2023, along with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and President Joseph Biden of the United States of America. PM Modi also unveiled the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Hiroshima

Unprecedented scenes panned out as the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea came to the airport to receive PM Modi and was seen touching the feet of India’s PM as a mark of respect.

Two top honours followed as PNG conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu to PM Modi for championing the cause of unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of Global South. Very few non-residents of PNG have received this award, including former US President Bill Clinton. It’s a big honour for India. PM Modi was also conferred the highest honour of Fiji by the PM of Fiji: Companion of the Order of Fiji in recognition of his global leadership. Only a handful of Non-Fijians have received this honour to date.