Prime Minister Modi inaugurates UAE temple

He visited the temple in Abu Mureikha, built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect. Modi has close ties to the organization

PRAVASISAMWAD.COM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Middle East’s first traditional, stone-built Hindu temple on February 14, reported voanews.com, internationalizing his reelection campaign.

The trip to the BAPS Hindu Mandir just north of the city of Abu Dhabi capped Modi’s tour of the United Arab Emirates during which the Indian leader embraced the UAE’s president, describing him as a brother, and spoke before global leaders at a Dubai summit.

Modi is widely expected to win a third term as prime minister in the upcoming elections in India. He visited the temple in Abu Mureikha, built by the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, a worldwide religious and civic organization within the Swaminarayan sect. Modi has close ties to the organization.

Modi’s personal touch on the trip, including embracing Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, seems aimed at further cementing ties with the UAE, an oil-rich country that supplies India’s energy needs while also serving as a home for some 3.5 million Indians.

Modi walked past the temple’s seven spires, a nod to the autocratic UAE’s seven sheikhdoms. The prime minister waved at a crowd of thousands gathered for the event, described as a Festival of Harmony, some spilling out into overflow seating outside. Children greeted Modi, and others cheered his movements through the temple with priests.

Earlier, Modi spoke before the World Governments Summit in Dubai, hosted by the city-state’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.  “Over the years, the trust of the people of the country on the government of India has become stronger,” Modi said. “People have full faith in both the intentions and commitments of our government. It is as a friend to the world that India is moving forward,” he said.

Modi’s personal touch on the trip, including embracing Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, seems aimed at further cementing ties with the UAE, an oil-rich country that supplies India’s energy needs while also serving as a home for some 3.5 million Indians.

The relationship also underscores the Emirates’ realpolitik foreign policy. Modi received the Emirates’ top civilian honor in 2019 even as he stripped statehood from the disputed Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.

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