Several Kiwi-Indians will be flying to Sydney next week to join ranks with thousands of diaspora members scheduled to attend a community welcome for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Indian leader, who will reach the city after hosting a summit in Papua New Guinea, is scheduled to meet his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese among other meetings and events.
The widely anticipated community reception being planned for Modi at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on May 23 is expected to be a big crowd-puller. The Indian premier's last trip to the city in 2014 drew a crowd of nearly 20,000 for an appearance at SuperDome.
The Indian diaspora in both Australia and New Zealand is gearing up for the upcoming event. Among those preparing for the reception is a contingent of Kiwi-Indians from across New Zealand that plans to arrive in Sydney on the day of the event to welcome Modi.
President of New Zealand Telugu Association Suneel Kuncha says he is looking forward to witnessing the prime minister speak live. “I have no words to express how excited I am for this opportunity. He is the one who has taken our nation to the next level. It is indeed a very good opportunity. Along with diaspora leaders, we are a group of people flying from New Zealand. It’s a celebration of victory for the PM,” says Kuncha.
Auckland businessman Roshan Nauhria, who has been active in community building for years, says he is looking forward to cheering for a prime minister who has raised India’s image globally.
“He is a good PM. Like other Indians living abroad, I am very happy to be travelling to support him. He is doing a good job for the country, economy is moving up, the country is less reliant on imports, and it is becoming increasingly self-reliant,” Nauhria says.
Pre-event outdoor activities are scheduled to kick off from 12.30pm on the day of the community welcome, and gates are expected to open at 2.30pm. A host of cultural programmes are planned leading up to formal proceedings starting at 5.30pm. The event is expected to end by 8pm.
Auckland-based community leader Vinay Mehta is also travelling for the event. “I am a big fan of the ideologies of the BJP, and very impressed and influenced by the leadership of Modi ji. His working modules touch the common man in India…looking forward to seeing him in Sydney. He is acclaimed as one of the best leaders of the country worldwide,” says Mehta.
The Indian diaspora in Australia has also organised chartered flights between Melbourne and Sydney for supporters to attend the event. Modi’s trip to Australia has gone ahead despite Joe Biden cancelling his plans to attend Quad Leaders’ Summit on May 24 in Sydney. The US president cancelled his visit citing the need to focus on debt-ceiling talks back home to prevent a federal default.
The trips to Papua New Guinea and Australia are a part of Modi’s three-nation tour during which he will also attend G7 Summit in Japan. The prime minister will visit Hiroshima from May 19 to 21 for the summit under Japanese presidency.
Modi will speak at G7 sessions with partner countries on wide-ranging issues, including peace, stability and prosperity of a sustainable planet, food, fertiliser and energy security, health, gender equality, climate change and environment, resilient infrastructure, and development cooperation.
From Japan, he will travel to Port Moresby for the third summit of Forum for India-Pacific Islands Cooperation (FIPIC), in what will be the first ever visit by an Indian prime minister to Papua New Guinea.
Launched in 2014, FIPIC comprises India and 14 Pacific Island countries, including Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. An Indian foreign ministry release said Modi will have bilateral engagements in Papua New Guinea, including meetings with Governor-General Sir Bob Dadae and Prime Minister James Marape.