india

Updated: Jun 28, 2019 00:12 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday non-resident Indians have a greater ability to understand developments in their country, with the distance from the homeland giving them a “greater power to understand the truth”.

Modi made the remarks during an interaction with members of the Indian diaspora in the Japanese city of Kobe after listening to the audience’s response to his question on who had emerged victorious in the recent general election that threw up a sweeping victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After members of the audience shouted that it was a victory for truth and democracy, Modi said: “You can understand and feel India’s mind even when you’re in Japan. There is no difference between your aspirations and those of the people in India and we feel we are moving in the right direction. “You sit far away and watch India and you have greater power to understand the truth,” he added.

With 61 crore people voting in the elections, the number of voters exceeded the population of almost all countries except China, he told the enthusiastic audience amid the chanting of slogans such as “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Jai Shree Ram”.

After the event, Modi tweeted, “Outcome of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls has caused immense happiness among the Indian diaspora. At the community programme, I asked those who had gathered - the win in 2019 is whose win? They promptly replied - it is a win for honesty. Their answer was very pleasing.”

Modi is in Japan to attend the two-day G20 Summit beginning in Osaka on Friday. He will also hold several bilateral meetings, including one with US President Donald Trump.