Thousands of Indians went into a tizzy as Modi walked into an indoor stadium in Shanghai
where they had assembled to greet him. The uproarious cheering by Indians, a first in China, continued much after his 45-minute speech as a section of the audience rushed to the podium to catch a glimpse of Modi.
Modi evoked national pride discussing the greatness of India and, by saying he does not take vacations, took a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi who has criticized him for his foreign tours.
“Tomorrow, you will be relaxing on a Sunday and I will be working in Mongolia. I have not taken one- day off in the past one year. But if I am criticized for working hard, I am willing to take this criticism,” he said, to widespread approval of the audience.
The 5,000-strong Indian audience at the Shanghai Expo centre was drawn from different Chinese cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, Yiwu, Shaoxing, Nanjing, Tianjin and Shanghai besides Hong Kong.
Cries of “Modi, Modi,“ rented the air and dancers moved to the tune of Rajasthani music for about two hours before the Modi arrived. “With India's image improving with international ratings agencies and countries like China and the United States, it is time for every Indian to feel a surge of pride and contribute to national growth,” Modi said. Each Indian living in China should try to persuade at least five Chinese tourists to visit India even if they have to invite them to marriages and other family events, he told a cheering crowd.
“The situation is now changing. China and India are giving a new direction, and have added speed to economic development in the world,” he said. It's rare that a country would allow a foreign leader to communicate directly with its youth. The fact that the Chinese government allowed him to talk to students at the Tsinghua University in Beijing and Fudan University in Shanghai shows that it is keen to develop linkages with India over the coming decades, Modi told his audience.
“When I won (the general elections), then President Xi told me about a find in my village. He came to India and to Ahmedabad, but unfortunately he could not come to Vadnagar,” said Modi.
