Delhi: US President Barack Obama has written about Narendra Modi in TIME magazine, talking about his rise in politics from a tea seller to India's Prime Minister.
Obama also lauded Modi's vision of taking India on the path of growth and plans to elevate millions from clutches of poverty among other things.
Following is the text published in the magazine:
As a boy, Narendra Modi helped his father sell tea to support their family. Today, he’s the leader of the world’s largest democracy, and his life story - from poverty to Prime Minister—reflects the dynamism and potential of India’s rise.
Determined to help more Indians follow in his path, he’s laid out an ambitious vision to reduce extreme poverty, improve education, empower women and girls and unleash India’s true economic potential while confronting climate change. Like India, he transcends the ancient and the modern - a devotee of yoga who connects with Indian citizens on Twitter and imagines a 'digital India'.
When he came to Washington, Narendra and I visited the memorial to Dr Martin Luther King Jr, we reflected on the teachings of King and Gandhi and how the diversity of backgrounds and faiths in our countries is a strength we have to protect. Prime Minister Modi recognizes that more than 1 billion Indians living and succeeding together can be an inspiring model for the world.
PM Modi was named by Time magazine as 100 most influential people in the world on Thursday.
Four people of Indian origin figure in the list. Apart from PM Modi, Chanda Kochhar, managing director and CEO of ICICI Bank, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadela and Vikram Patel, co-founder of the NGO Sangath are also on the list.
On his part, PM Modi thanked the US President for 'touching and inspiring' words and provided a link to the article in the magazine.
India’s Prime Minister @narendramodi “transcends the ancient and the modern,” writes President @BarackObama #TIME100 http://t.co/LehrpQSC10
— TIME.com (@TIME) April 16, 2015
Dear @BarackObama your words are touching & inspiring. Thanks @TIME. http://t.co/igmK5moGxn
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 16, 2015
Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, too tweeted about it saying: "A leader writes about another. President Barack Obama writes about PM Modi."
A leader writes about another. Prez @BarackObama writes about PM @narendramodi in #TIME100. @TIME pic.twitter.com/GutWXi1JCu
— Syed Akbaruddin (@MEAIndia) April 16, 2015
Modi stormed to power in May 2014 after leading BJP to majority in the General Elections with 282 seats on its own.
The BJP-led NDA won 335 seats in the Lok Sabha.
Modi had led the campaign from the front launching a blistering attack on ten years of Congress-led UPA government rule.
The Congress managed to win only 44 seats in the Lower House, ending with worst ever figures in General Elections.
Others who made it to the list of 100 include US President Barack Obama, rapper Kanye West, reality star Kim Kardashian, French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, Pope Francis, head of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen, 31-year-old billionaire Elizabeth Holmes, dancer Misty Copeland, actresses Reese Witherspoon and Emma Watson, astronaut Scott Kelly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Russia`s Vladimir Putin and US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power.
For the third straight year, Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai, 17, is the youngest person on the list, with the oldest person being 88-year old Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi.
