For the first time in 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister visited New Zealand. PM Christopher Luxon described this visit of PM Modi as historic. He said that the progress India has made under the leadership of Modi is incredible and an example for the world.
auckland [न्यूजीलैंड]July 11 (ANI): New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday (local time) praised Prime Minister Modi’s visit, calling it a “historic milestone”. He said that this is the first time in 40 years that an Indian Prime Minister has set foot on New Zealand soil. Addressing an Indian community event in Auckland, Lakson warmly welcomed PM Modi and said, “Tonight, New Zealand is making history. For the first time in 40 years, an Indian Prime Minister is standing on New Zealand soil… Prime Minister Modi, on behalf of 50 lakh New Zealanders, I want to say that your wait has been worth it.”
PM Luxon praised India’s incredible progress
Recalling his long association with India, Lakson recalled his first visit to the country in the 1990s while working for Hindustan Unilever and pointed out the difference between the India seen then and the India of today. He said, “I experienced your country long before I entered politics. I was in my mid-20s as a young executive with Hindustan Unilever. That’s when I visited India for the first time. In those days, I saw that workers were paid at the end of every day, often with handfuls of coins because a day’s wages were counted in coins.”
Praising India’s rapid economic and social transformation over the last three decades, the New Zealand Prime Minister said that on every visit to India he is impressed by its progress. He said, “…look at India today… Every time I go, I am struck once again by the extraordinary energy, dynamism and innovation of the Indian people. The transformation that has taken place under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi has amazed me. India now has one of the largest middle classes in the world, with 44.5 crore people and it is still growing. With those higher incomes, families can enjoy better food, take holidays, send their children to study and plan for retirement. This is one of the biggest advances in human dignity in the world. This has happened under your leadership.”
Earlier, amid loud slogans from the Indian diaspora, Prime Minister Modi took the stage at a community event in Auckland. Meanwhile, in the evening, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand PM Christopher Luxon watched a cultural performance in Auckland before attending the Indian community event.
PM Modi’s leadership appreciated even in business events
Similarly, earlier addressing the India-New Zealand Business and Sports Engagement event in Auckland, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Saturday praised India’s economic transformation under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said he had been a “big fan of India” for many years and described the country’s progress as “incredible”.
Laxon recalled his first visit to India while working for Unilever in the 1990s and highlighted the country’s remarkable economic journey over the past three decades. “Many of you may know that I have been a huge fan of India for a long time. I first went to India in my mid-20s. It was because I worked for a company called Unilever, which had ownership in Hindustan Lever, which was one of the top 10 companies in India. I remember going to India in the mid-to-late 90s and people used to get their daily wages in coins in their hands. It’s interesting to me that PM Modi Under his leadership, he has lifted 25 crore people out of poverty. Now there are 44 crore people in the middle class, which is going to be 75 crore by the end of the decade. This is an incredible transformation,” he said.
He added, “As someone who has been to India many times, moving from low income to middle income to high income – it is very inspiring and exciting to see that transformation happen.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a two-day official visit to New Zealand from July 10-11 at the invitation of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. In the visit, which is the first by an Indian Prime Minister to New Zealand in 40 years, the two countries elevated relations to a strategic partnership and adopted a Roadmap 2030 to enhance cooperation in trade, defence, technology, security and regional affairs. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)