(Image source from: The National)

Amid prevailing tensions among political parties ahead of Lok Sabha elections in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to take a call this week on whether he inaugurates the first Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi by video, or in person on April 19-20.

At least three officials in the Prime Minister’s Office in South Block confirmed that given his very heavy political commitments, the decision on how PM Modi will inaugurate the Swami Narayan temple in Abu Mureikha, 30 minutes from capital Abu Dhabi, has been left to the PM himself.

The Swami Narayan religious group has considerable influence in the state of Gujarat. The land for the temple was given by Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi after Modi’s first visit as PM to the United Arab Emirates in 2015.

If he does choose to visit, apart from the religious messaging, Prime Minister Modi will also receive the King Zayed medal in recognition of his “pivotal role” in strengthening ties between two nations.

Since he came to power in 2014, Modi has worked hard to build goodwill and forge close ties with West Asia, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He has used his National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, former Counter-Terrorism Envoy Asif Ibrahim, Research and Analysis Wing Chief Anil Dhasmana and Indian Ambassadors to the West Asian nations to achieve this. Out of the six awards given to PM Modi in the past five years, four are from Islamic nations.

By Sowmya Sangam