Australian leader of the opposition Peter Dutton this week said that Australian politicians were ‘jealous’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi referring to the reception he received from diaspora Indians earlier this week at a mega event in Sydney.
Aussie politicians jealous of Indian PM @narendramodi says Leader of the Opposition @PeterDutton_MP @EthnicLinkGuru @DrAmitSarwal @Pallavi_Aus @SarahLGates1 @TVMohandasPai @rishi_suri @VohraManpreet @vijai63 @AusHCIndia @ARanganathan72 @shebatweets @samirsaran @DipenRughani pic.twitter.com/OlqiTT5eEb— The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) May 26, 2023
The Australia-based news outlet Australia Today shared a video clip where Dutton is seen telling fellow parliamentarians about his conversation with PM Modi regarding the mega diaspora event Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
“Australian politicians were jealous of the fact that Prime Minister Modi was able to get 20,000 people to chant his surname, I said it to Prime Minister Modi this morning,” Dutton said.
“PM Modi and his delegation visited India recently and I met with PM Modi in Sydney. We had a cordial and engaging conversation. The wide ranging topics we discussed gave an indication of bipartisan support to the India-Australia relationship,” Dutton said.
Dutton in his speech to the Australian parliament pointed out that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s predecessor Scott Morrison and his government also worked for strengthening India-Australia relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian leader of the opposition Peter Dutton had a fruitful discussion and Prime Minister Modi thanked him for the bipartisan support.
“A relationship enjoying support across the political spectrum. PM Narendra Modi had a productive meeting with the Leader of Opposition MP Peter Dutton in Sydney. PM Modi conveyed his appreciation for the strong bipartisan support that our partnership enjoys. Also discussed various aspects of bilateral ties, including people to people linkages, as well as regional developments,” the external affairs ministry said, after their meeting earlier this week.
Peter Dutton also spoke to Anand Narasimhan, the managing editor of CNN-News18, on Tuesday where he said that he was amazed by the reception PM Modi received from Australian Indians and the diaspora during the mega event in Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena.
“It was an informed speech. He connected with Australia and he knew where the opportunities were. Education, environment, defence, security and there are many other areas where we can strengthen our relationship,” Dutton told CNN-News18.
“We are on the ground floor. This relationship has just started. We are going up and at a fast rate. The diaspora community here, the connections, and the interconnectivity will bring two words closer. There is no other trusted friend than PM Modi” Dutton said.