The Indian diaspora here gave a rousing reception to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he addressed them at the Malayasia International Exhibition & Convention Centre on Sunday evening.
Amid chants of “Modi, Modi”, the Prime Minister took the mike and told the crowd that India was not just confined to its territory and “India exists in the hearts of every Indian in every part of the world.”
Recalling the association of their forefathers with India’s freedom struggle, the Prime Minister said that thousands of people from Malaysia had joined the Indian National Army.
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"On behalf of every Indian, I also honour all the unnamed and unknown Malaya-Indians, who laid down their lives so that a free India could rise,” Mr. Modi said, adding that the Indian Cultural Centre at Kuala Lumpur would be named after Netaji .
Paying homage to the “countless” Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in World War II, the Prime Minister said his govt. was prepared to work with the Malaysian government to build a war memorial for them at the site of the Battle of Kampar in Perak.