Sydney, Nov 17 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here today on a whirlwind six-hour visit to Sydney on the second leg of his four-city tour of Australia.
Modi, who arrived here from Brisbane after attending the G20 Summit, will proceed to Canberra tonight and later to Melbourne.
“Modi fever grips Sydney,” said a headline in the Canberra Times.
“The city will get a dose of Modi-mania when the Indian Prime Minister makes a quick-fire, high-energy visit.”
Modi is the first prime minister to visit Australia in 28 years after Rajiv Gandhi in 1986.
More than 16,000 members of the Indian diaspora will pack Allphones Arena at Olympic Park here to listen Modi at a community reception. About 5,000 more are expected to be watching the evening event on big screens outside.
“Looks like it’s gonna be India day in Sydney,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted.
“Enthusiasm builds in Sydney. Even before PM ends Brisbane leg, excitement builds up at Sydney event,” another tweet said yesterday.
More than 200 Modi fans left Melbourne on a specially a chartered train dubbed the “Modi Express” to attend Modi’s speech at Allphones Arena this evening.
