Narendra Modi addresses NRIs in 18 US cities

New Delhi, May 13:

Chief Minister

on Monday addressed the Indian diaspora in 18 cities in the US through video conferencing.

Hailing the Indian diaspora, Modi said Gujaratis form a global community and they are the cultural ambassadors of the country abroad. He thanked the NRIs for being a source of strength for them.

He said he bowed to everyone who worked and gave their lives for Gujarat, adding whatever strength the God has given to the people of the country, they will try to fulfil their dreams.

The BJP leader said development is the only road ahead for the nation and that Gujarat has shown a ray of hope to the country in this regard. He said the coastal areas of the state like Kutch, Banskanta and Radhanpur need to be developed.

Modi, who is known for his Hindi speeches, asked the members of the diaspora to convey his message to the American leaders sitting hearing him since he was not speaking in English.

Modi's speech was organised by the Gujarati community in the US as part of the Gujarat Day programmes.

It was the first occasion after the Wharton India Economic Forum controversy in March that Modi had an appointment with NRIs in the US. The even was organised by 'Friends of BJP' through video link.

The Wharton event was cancelled after some Leftist academics had raised strong reservation against Modi's participation. The cancellation of Modi's speech saw a number of sponsors withdrawing from the programme.

During his speech on Monday, the Gujarat CM, looked by many as the future prime minister of India, said the biggest problem that the country faced today is lack of trust. Taking a dig at the Coalgate scam of the Congress-led government at the Centre, he said even coal is not spared and it is high time that the Indians re-established the trust.

Speaking on the development in Gujarat, Modi said if the last 12 years of development in Gujarat is compared with the previous 40 years, one will realise that the development standard has reached a new high.

Modi said although it was a Gujarat Day speech, but he was speaking as an Indian for he was worried over the future. He blamed a weak central government for this.

OneIndia News