PM Narendra Modi Thursday praised the contribution of Indians living abroad as “sugar in milk”, saying they make their adopted land sweeter with their presence.Addressing a diaspora crowd at a community event in Melbourne in the presence of his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, Modi said Indians had made the city more vibrant with their culture. And while they had stayed connected to their roots, they had also been working day and night for the development of their adopted country, he added.“As sugar melts in milk and makes it sweeter, we Indians imbue the world with the colour of love,” he said.Modi drew cheers from the audience when he spoke about Operation Sindoor and, a day after the deal to sell Brahmos missiles to Indonesia, he said the world was witnessing the capability and credibility of India’s defence platform.“You must have seen the demo during Operation Sindoor. Blasts occurred at the shelters of terrorists but their echoes were heard across the world. You must have felt proud of the blows at the terror camps,” he said.Asserting that India was setting big goals, Modi said the country was driven by the spirit of “grow more, achieve more”. He added, “From chips to ships, new manufacturing ecosystems are being created in India.”The PM said a growing India benefited all of humanity as “happiness for all” drove its policies and actions. In this context, he spoke of India’s aid to Venezuela after the latter was hit by earthquakes. Modi added that similar assistance had been extended to countries like Turkiye, Syria and Myanmar. “When India helps, it does not look at the colour of the passport. That is why the world trusts India so much,” he said.The event was held amid celebration in BJP circles over Australia reversing its 2010 refusal to sell uranium to India. “What changed?” the party’s IT cell head, Amit Malviya, posted on X, a remark which seemed to be aimed at Congress.
