NEW DELHI: Just two days after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day, he has a a date with a stadium and around 25,000 Indian expatriates in Dubai.
The Overseas Friends of the BJP in the UAE announced on Saturday night on their Facbebook page that the PM would be addressing the diaspora at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on August 17. Incidentally, the stadium was one of the venues for IPL in 2014.
There are no details on how the attendees will be chosen if the registration were to exceed the capacity of the venue. This will be the first time that Modi has addressed Indian expatriates in a cricket stadium. The event is being organised under the aegis of the Indian Community Welfare Committee.
This will be Modi’s first visit to an Arab country, which is important to India not only for LNG links but for the remittances from the 22-lakh-strong Indian diaspora. This will also be the first visit to the UAE by an Indian PM in 25 years.