“Exciting Here Now Preparations Begin for The Hello Modi Event in the UAE”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month, likely his final foreign visit before the Lok Sabha elections, with the highlight being his address to the Indian diaspora on February 13 at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Sports City Stadium. The event has been dubbed ‘Ahlan Modi’, or ‘Hello Modi’.

The event organizers told Business Standard that their goal is to make the PM’s interaction with the diaspora the largest since his first one in September 2014 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, which drew approximately 20,000 people. “Nearly 20,000 people have registered for the event since we opened registration on January 6th. The 3.5 million-strong Indian diaspora in the UAE, as well as Bahrain and other Gulf countries, is extremely interested in attending the event, according to a key member of the organizing team who declined to be identified.

The stadium has a seating capacity of nearly 50,000. The organizers are discussing this with the administrators to ensure adequate seating.” The Prime Minister’s largest diaspora event was his speech at London’s Wembley Stadium in November 2015. “We hope ‘Ahlan Modi’ will be comparable,” said a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader involved in the event’s planning. During his visit to the UAE, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate the BAPS Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi on February 14. Modi’s visit to the UAE is likely to be his last abroad during his current tenure as India’s Prime Minister. Five years ago, in the months leading up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Prime Minister visited South Korea on February 21. His most recent trip abroad was to the UAE to attend the UN Climate Change Conference from November 30 to December 1, 2023.

The upcoming trip to the UAE will be his seventh since 2015, when he became the first Indian prime minister in 34 years to visit the Gulf state. The Prime Minister also paid a visit to the UAE in July 2023, during which the two countries signed an agreement to establish a campus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-Delhi), which will launch its first master’s program this month.

According to a statement from the event’s organizing committee, 350 community leaders from various regions and communities met for a briefing on the event on January 3 in Abu Dhabi and formed hundreds of volunteer committees. According to the organizers, Modi’s frequent visits to the UAE have strengthened bilateral relations, as evidenced by the diverse Indian diaspora, which now includes more than just blue-collar workers.

There is a sizable presence of Indian traders in Africa, with offices in Dubai and executives working in banking, petrochemicals, and other industries. The diaspora includes Indians from all over the country, including Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other states.