Addressing a mammoth crowd of nearly one lakh people at the 'Namaste Trump' mega event at the Motera Stadium here on Monday, US President Donald Trump said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi started out as 'tea wallah' but he is very tough and everybody loves him.
"We will always remember this remarkable hospitality. India will hold a special place in our hearts. PM Modi started out as 'tea wallah', he worked as a tea seller. Everybody loves him but I will tell you this, he is very tough. India a miracle of democracy," Trump said.
Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania and daughter Ivanka, arrived on Monday in Ahmedabad on a two-day trip to India.
The US President also said that five months ago America welcomed the "great Prime Minister" at a giant football stadium in Texas and today India welcomes him at the world's largest cricket stadium right here in Ahmedabad.
"America loves India, America respects India and America will always be a faithful and loyal friend to the Indian people," he said.
Further appreciating India, the visiting dignitary remarked that PM Modi is a tremendously successful leader of the vast Indian republic, adding that last year more than 600 million people went to the polls and gave him a landslide victory in the largest democratic elections anywhere on earth.
"You are living proof that with hard work and devotion Indian cam accomplish anything they want," he stressed.
Underscoring the strong ties between the two nations, Modi said the US is now India's largest trading partner and the Indian military is involved in its biggest war exercise with the US.
Trump's visit to India at the turn of the new decade is a big opportunity, he said.
The Indo-US ties are no longer just another partnership but have touched far greater heights, and the Trump's trip with his family shows this, Modi said. "Welcome to world's biggest democracy," the prime minister said.
Modi said President Trump's visit is a new chapter in the relations between India and America. "A chapter that will become a new document of progress and prosperity of the people of America and India," he added.
There is so much that the two countries share, Modi said.
He said the two countries also share spirit of enterprise and innovation, shared opportunities and challenges and shared hopes and aspirations.
