PM Modi arrives in UAE, receives warm welcome by ecstatic diaspora members

Abu Dhabi, Feb 13 (PTI) A melodious song, chants of ‘Modi Modi’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and boisterous, dressed in vibrant hues members of the Indian community greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he reached the hotel on the first day of the two-day visit here on Tuesday.

Modi reached here earlier in the day to participate in the ‘Ahlan Modi’ (‘Hello Modi’ in Arabic) and address the large Indian community at the Zayed Sports City Stadium here later in the evening and on Wednesday would be inaugurating the largest Hindu temple in the UAE.

As Modi reached the St Regis hotel after a bilateral meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the UAE, men, women and children alike, all dressed in their colourful best traditional wear, gathered on a flight of steps at the hotel lobby and also overlooking from the first-floor lobby, engaged in cheerfully shouted slogans such as ‘Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai,’ ‘Har Ghar Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi’ and even ‘Ahlan Modi.’ Modi responded by waving back at them.

Amid sloganeering and cheering for the Prime Minister, one community volunteer played on the piano and another sang a soulful song for him as he fondly appreciated the singer and the musician.

Modi also appreciated a collage of photos of PM Modi and President Nahyan shown to him by an enthusiastic youngster.

He also posed with them for group photos.

“Incredibly honoured by the warm welcome from the Indian Community in Abu Dhabi today. The vibrancy of our diaspora never ceases to amaze me,” Modi posted on X soon after along with photographs of the gathering.

After the inauguration of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Mandir, the first Hindu stone temple in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday morning, Modi will head to Doha to have a bilateral meeting with Qatari leaders. PTI