External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, who is
on a four-day official trip to the UK, celebrated Diwali by offering prayers at
the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) in London.
Speaking to the media outside, he said India is the
fastest-growing large economy today.
“India is today the fastest-growing large economy.
There is leadership. There is vision. There is good governance,” he said.
The EAM said: “…The image of India – a large part of
it is what happens in Bharat by all of us but a large part of it is what all
you do in your everyday life…Whenever PM Modi goes out, he will never miss a
chance to express gratitude to Mother India…We had a very successful G20
presidency in very difficult circumstances….”
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is Europe’s first
authentic and traditionally built Hindu temple.
On his visit to the temple, the EAM and his wife,
Kyoko Jaishankar, offered the Abhishek Puja.
Jaishankar’s visit to the Neasden Temple on Diwali
highlighted the importance of cultural connections as part of bilateral
relations. The trip advanced shared political and economic interests.
The EAM said, “Shubh Diwali to all of you. Nothing can
be happier than being among our own people on such an auspicious occasion. I am
here on a visit to the United Kingdom and it was natural that on an occasion
like Deepawali, I would look for the opportunity to come & be with the
members of the community…Modi Sarkar works 24*7 every day, we all know that.”
He said: “On Deepawali day, I have come from a long
meeting with Rishi Sunak. We had the occasion to discuss our relations with the
UK & India…I am a testament to how much the image of Bharat has
changed….”
EAM Jaishankar met UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and
his wife Akshata Murty at 10 Downing Street and conveyed the best wishes of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Diwali, and also gifted him a Lord Ganesha
statue and a cricket bat signed by Indian batting great Virat Kohli.
ANI
