Indian Prime Minister Modi: "G20 Member Countries, Please Observe Next Year's General Election"

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has requested G20 member countries to observe next year's general election.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India / Photo by Yonhap News

The Times of India reported on the 21st (local time) that Prime Minister Modi sent a video message at the G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting held in Goa, southwestern India, announcing this.

India, the chair country of this year's G20, is preparing for the G20 summit to be held in New Delhi this September. Modi is currently on a state visit to the United States.

In the video, Modi said, "Tourism has the potential to create a harmonious society," adding, "Terrorism divides people, but tourism unites them." He then requested that delegations from G20 member countries visit India during next year's general election to witness the "festival of democracy" held in the "mother of democracy" country.

He especially mentioned, "Visiting India will be a better experience than just simple tourism," and added, "There is a saying in India that guests should be respected like gods." He also emphasized that the federal government has worked hard to develop the tourism ecosystem over the past nine years.

The Indian general election, to be held in April-May next year, will elect 543 members of the federal lower house for a five-year term. Attention is focused on whether Modi, who took office as federal prime minister in May 2014, will succeed in a third term. Modi, affiliated with the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), served as the governor of the western state of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.