PM Modi Raises Issue Of Attacks On Hindu Temples In Australia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday raised the issue of attacks on Hindu temples with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.

"PM Anthony Albanese and I have in the past discussed the issue of attack on temples in Australia and activities of separatist elements. We discussed the matter today also. We will not accept any elements that harm the friendly and warm ties between the India-Australia relationship by their action or thoughts. PM Albanese assured me once again today that he will take strict actions against such elements in the future also," said the Indian Prime Minister, who is on a three-day visit to Australia.

In the recent past, there were several instances of Hindu temples coming under attack from the Khalistani elements. Also, the separatists had got into brawls with pro-India demonstrators in parts of Australia.

Just weeks ago, the Khalistan supporters reportedly vandalised the BAPS Swaminarayan temple located in Western Sydney's Rosehill suburb in Australia.

Temple authorities had found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate and graffiti reading "Declare Modi Terrorist (BBC)" was also written on the wall.

During his visit to India in March, Albanese had stated that such hate incidents will not be tolerated and anybody involved in such activities would face the "full force of the law".

"I gave him the assurance that Australia is a country that respects people's faith. That we don't tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we've seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches," Albanese said.

"This has no place in Australia. And, we will take every action through our police and also our security agencies to make sure that anyone responsible for this faces the full force of the law. We're a tolerant multicultural nation, and there is no place in Australia for this activity," he added.

Coming back to PM Modi's visit to Australia, he held wide-ranging talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese, focusing on boosting overall bilateral ties including in areas of trade and investment, defence and renewable energy.

On Tuesday, the Indian Prime Minister addressed a huge community gathering in Sydney which reportedly had the participation of about 20,000 people.