Ireland Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on December 29 visited his ancestral village alongwith his family members in the coastal Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra, calling it “a very special moment”.
It was his first visit to the village of Varad in Malvan tehsil, around 500 km from Mumbai, said Varadkar, who became Prime Minister of Ireland in June 2017. His father Ashok Varadkar, a doctor, moved to the United Kingdom in the 1960s.
The visit was a “special moment” as three generations of his family had gathered, the Ireland Prime Minister said after the villagers felicitated him. He also visited temple of the village deity.
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“I am here with my parents, my sisters and their husbands, my partner and some grandchildren are here...so it is a big family visit,” the Ireland PM said. “I am on private visit here as of now, but I would like to visit this place again in the official capacity.”
During another interaction with villagers, he said, “This is my fifth visit to India but first to Varad village where my grandfather and father have been brought up. It is a privilege and honour for me to visit this place.”
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On December 30, an official said that the Prime Minister would ring in the New Year in the coastal state of Goa. He would arrive in Goa on Monday afternoon, a senior police official said.
“Prime Minister Varadkar’s visit is entirely private. There are no official functions planned during his visit. He would be in Goa till January 1 along with his family,” he said.
He will take a flight from the Dabolim Airport in Goa on January 1 afternoon to return to his country, the official added.