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'Has jhalmuri reached here?': PM Modi's Bengal election quip in Netherlands | Watch
PM Modi reached Netherlands after a brief visit to the UAE, wherein he met President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a community programme during his visit to the Netherlands as part of his ongoing five-nation tour. In his address at The Hague, he made a quip over whether ‘jhalmuri’ had reached Netherlands, while he was speaking about the recently concluded assembly elections in the country.
“Has jhalmuri even reached here?” PM Modi asked the community members after they applauded his mention of Assam and Bengal.
The Prime Minister, during his election campaign ahead of voting in Bengal, had stopped for the snack jhalmuri from a local shop, something which turned into a viral moment.
PM Modi reached Netherlands after a brief visit to the UAE wherein he met President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
This is his second leg of the five-nation tour, following which he will travel to Sweden during May 17-18, and to Norway during May 18-19 for the third India-Nordic Summit. The Prime Minister, in the final leg of his trip, will visit Italy between May 19-20.
PM hails voter turnout in Assembly polls
During his speech, PM Modi hailed the record voter turnout in the assembly elections.
“When people's dreams come true, their belief in democracy gets stronger. Let me take the Assembly elections as an example,” the Prime Minister said.
PM Modi highlighted the 80-90 per cent voter turnout in the elections in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry this time.
He further asserted that the country “values the democratic participation” of all its citizens. The Prime Minister said that the democratic process in India continues to strengthen with every election, ANI news agency reported. PM Modi also spoke about the “remarkably high participation rate among women.”
‘India's aspirations not limited to its borders’
PM Modi also described India as a “land of opportunities”, saying the “aspirations in India are unlimited".
“India of the 21st century is a land of opportunities. India is both technology-driven and humanity-driven,” PM Modi said, while calling on the diaspora to “participate in the journey towards a developed India".
He further stated that India's aspirations were “not limited to its borders”, saying the country wants to host the Olympics, become a manufacturing hub and lead the way in green energy.
During his over 40-minute speech, PM Modi urged “friends of India” to invest in the country, while assuring them of greater returns. “Today, the nation is saying - we do not seek merely transformation; we seek the best. And not only the best, we want the fastest,” PM Modi said, adding that the efforts in the country were also “becoming limitless.”
