Will Build India Of Your Dreams, Join In Our Effort: Modi To Indians Abroad

NEW YORK: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected with thousands of rapturously cheering Indian diasporas at Madison Square Garden, promising them he would deliver on the electoral promise of a resurgent India and urged them to join in the mass movement to work for their country of origin.

Addressing a 20,000-strong crowd at the venue - that has seen former U.S. presidents and rock stars take to the stage but never an Indian politician - and also thousands watching the event live outside on giant screens, and millions back home and around the world on TV and internet, Modi announced relief measures for the diaspora, including lifelong visas for Persons of Indian Origin cardholders and the merger of the PIO and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) schemes with a new scheme to be announced soon.

Speaking in his chatty style in Hindi for almost an hour, and attired in cream kurta-pyjama and a light orange jacket, Modi praised the Indian diaspora for its contribution to IT, saying India was no longer considered a land of snake charmers but of software wizards.

"Our forefathers maybe would play with snakes, but we play with the mouse (computer mouse)," he said, to wild cheers.

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