Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed back in Delhi on Thursday morning after a three-nation tour, which saw him take part in three summits and 50 engagements.
The Prime Minister was accorded a warm welcome by BJP workers and supporters at Delhi's Palam airport. The three-nation tour involved a visit to Japan's Hiroshima to attend the Group of Seven or G7 Summit. Modi then headed to Papua New Guinea, the first-ever visit by any Indian prime minister to the Indo-Pacific country. Next was Australia at the invitation of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Speaking to BJP workers on arrival, the Prime Minister took a dig at critics, stating many questioned why India decided to give away vaccines to other countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. "The people here asked me why I gave the vaccines to the world. I want to say that this is the land of Buddha, Gandhi. We care even for our enemies... Today the world wants to know what India is thinking," Modi said.
He took a veiled swipe at the opposition parties when he said not only the Prime Minister of Australia but also the country's former PM and the entirety of the Opposition attended his community event in Sydney for the sake of their nation.
"The former Prime Minister was also present in that function. There were MPs from the Opposition and the ruling party. All of them took part in the community event," the PM said.
This comes as 19 Opposition parties decided to boycott the inauguration of the new Parliament building demanding that it should be inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu instead of the prime minister.
He said the world was keen to listen to India's story and said Indians should never suffer from "slave mentality" while speaking about their great culture and traditions and instead speak with courage. "When I talk about the culture of my country, I look into the eyes of the world. This confidence has come because you have formed a government with an absolute majority in the country. Those who have come here are people who love India, not PM Modi," he said.
The Prime Minister said he had the opportunity to release the Tok Pisin translation of the book 'Thirukural' in Papua New Guinea. "Tamil language is our language. It is the language of every Indian," the Prime Minister added.
Modi added that the world agrees with him when he says any attack on the country's pilgrimage site is not acceptable.
Vande Bharat flag off
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will flag off the inaugural run of Vande Bharat Express from Dehradun to Delhi via video conferencing on Thursday. The PM will also declare open Khelo India University Games 2022 at 7 pm via video conferencing on Friday evening.