Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda Gaston Browne on the sidelines of the India-Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Summit, in Georgetown, Guyana, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a special session of the Guyanese Parliament on Thursday (November 21, 2024), the 14th such instance of him speaking in Parliaments of foreign nations.
Officials said Mr. Modi holds the distinction of addressing the highest number of foreign Parliaments as Prime Minister.
His 14 addresses are double the number of similar such speeches delivered by his predecessor Manmohan Singh, they said, adding that Indira Gandhi had addressed foreign legislatures four times while Jawaharlal Nehru did it three times.
Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee delivered two such addresses while others like Morarji Desai and P.V. Narsimha Rao addressed only once, they said.
Since taking office in 2014, Mr. Modi has delivered speeches in legislative chambers worldwide, from the Americas to Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia.
“His addresses, which transcend continents, are a testament to India’s growing influence on the global stage,” an official asserted.
Mr. Modi has addressed the joint session of the U.S. Congress twice— in 2016 and then again in 2023.
In 2014, he addressed the Parliaments of Australia and Fiji and spoke in the British Parliament in 2015.
The Prime Minister addressed the National Assembly of Mauritius in 2015 and the Parliament of Uganda in 2018.
In Asia, he has addressed lawmakers in Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Maldives, they said.
Published – November 21, 2024 10:53 am IST