New Delhi:
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on Wednesday said that he regarded Prime Minister Narendra Modi as an elder brother and also considered him to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The Bhutanese PM lauded PM Modi’s 25 years of continuous service as head of the government, saying that India’s engagement with its neighbours has remained a key priority under his leadership. He also praised PM Modi’s role in amplifying the voice of the Global South and bringing the African Union into the G20 as a permanent member.
“Viksit Bharat matters beyond India. PM Modi has consistently placed India’s neighbours first in its international engagement. He has championed the interests of the Global South, convening the Voice of Global South Summits and leading the successful effort to bring the African Union into the G20 as a permanent member,” the Bhutanese PM wrote in an opinion article titled ‘Modi’s leadership reflects wisdom, courage, empathy’ published in Hindustan Times.
“And the stronger India becomes, the more it can do. A developed India will offer a larger market, have more capital and technology to share, and carry greater influence in shaping the global agenda to reflect the interests of the region and the Global South,” he added.
Highlighting the personal influence Prime Minister Modi has had on him, Tobgay said he has long regarded the former as an elder brother and, over the years, has come to see him as a mentor whose example as a public servant has been a source of guidance.
“Today, as PM Modi completes 25 years as a head of government, I am reminded of that impulsive conversation in 2019 — and our next meeting, on March 14, 2024. By then, I was prime minister again. I called on my elder brother in Delhi, five years after telling him that I saw him as an avatar of Vishnu,” said the Bhutanese PM.
“I told him that I had thought long and hard about what I had said five years earlier, and wondered whether I had been wrong. I had concluded that I was right. Not only that. I now knew which avatar. Vishnu’s final avatar — the one associated with overcoming disorder, restoring dharma and ushering in renewal. Kalki,” he mentioned.
Underscoring that Viksit Bharat means Viksit Bhutan, Tobgay recalled that in June 2014, within weeks of becoming prime minister, PM Modi chose Bhutan for his first foreign visit.
“I was prime minister at the time and had the privilege of receiving him. During that visit, he summed up our relationship in three characters. B4B: Bharat for Bhutan; Bhutan for Bharat. The phrase is simple yet profound. And over the years, he has lived by it,” the Bhutanese PM stated.
“That’s why India’s assistance during our 11th Five-Year Plan helped my first government deliver an ambitious development programme. That’s why PM Modi sustained that generous partnership through our 12th Plan. And that’s why, when I returned to office in 2024, he doubled India’s support for our 13th Plan to Rs 10,000 crore,” he noted.
Tobgay said Bhutan-India cooperation under the B4B framework is now evident across sectors, from education and healthcare to infrastructure, hydropower, technology, agriculture and enterprise. He said the partnership has acquired particular significance through India’s support for the Bhutanese King’s vision of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC).
“PM Modi has pledged India’s full support, and that commitment is already taking shape in rail links, border infrastructure, and improved air and digital connectivity. More importantly, Indian businesses have taken their cue from PM Modi’s unequivocal support,” Tobgay said, adding that leading Indian businesses are investing in Bhutan’s economic transformation and have joined GMC as founding members.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
