NEW DELHI: Crediting common people for the close relations between India and Japan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advocated greater people-to-people contact for expansion of ties.
Addressing the Indian diaspora in Japan, PM Modi said to honour Gandhi Indians should work towards “Swachh Bharat” (clean India) by 2019. PM Narendra Modi further stated that his tour to Japan has been a huge success.
Earlier, PM Narendra Modi called on Japanese Emperor Akihito and met leaders of various political parties. Modi also gifted Gita to the Japanese emperor.
“Bhagwad Gita is India’s biggest gift to the world… I always present the Gita to eminent people I meet all over the world. When I met the Japanese Emperor I gave him the Gita because I have nothing more valuable to give and the world has nothing more valuable to get,” the Prime Minister said while addressing the Indian community in one of his last engagements in Tokyo.
PM Modi also predicted there would be much reaction from his detractors in India. “There’ll be a TV debate…All my secular friends will say ‘don’t know what Modi thinks of himself.’ I don’t know why such topics are debated,” Prime Minister said.
“What India-Japan relations are today is not only because of governments but also because of contribution by you people,” Narendra Modi told the gathering.
