Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed a crowd of 25,000 at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on Thursday night, in an event that highlighted both the strong ties between the two nations and the deep divisions over Modi's human rights record.
Modi and Albanese hail bilateral ties
As Modi and Albanese stepped onto the red carpet, the crowd erupted in chants of "Modi, Modi, Modi," with phone lights illuminating the stadium. The event, dubbed "Melbourne Meets Modi," was Modi's first visit to Australia in three years and his third overall.
Modi praised the Indian diaspora for playing a big role in the "heights India-Australian relations have reached." Albanese echoed the sentiment, saying the energy in the stadium defined the Australia-India partnership. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan called the event "next level."
Uranium deal and defence cooperation
Earlier on Thursday, Modi and Albanese met for the Australia-India annual leaders' summit, where they announced a major uranium export agreement. The deal could end decades of delays to regular shipments of nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes, with Albanese stating it would enable uranium exports to flow to India.
Modi hailed the agreement as vital for expanding India's nuclear energy sector and stressed the importance of the bilateral relationship to bring peace, stability, and a rules-based order across the Indo-Pacific. Albanese noted that the relationship had "never been stronger" and pointed to a joint declaration on defence and security cooperation.
Protesters and human rights concerns
Outside the stadium, a group of protesters gathered to criticise Modi's policies, including a citizenship bill that fast-tracked citizenship for refugees from some countries but excluded Muslim countries. Sachin Sambhus, a protester, said Modi had destroyed India's democracy, making minorities "second-class citizens."
Amnesty International urged the Albanese government to raise India's human rights record in bilateral talks, calling the visit an opportunity to reaffirm commitment to human rights, democratic freedoms, and the rule of law. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said the government could speak directly and respectfully about important issues, including where they disagree.
Supporters' views
Among the crowd, Dibti Bandal described Modi as one of the "great prime ministers of India," crediting him for putting India on a global platform. Saloni Bhagat said Modi was "like a father to us."
Albanese acknowledged that while there was broad affection between the peoples, the relationship between the countries was "underdone, under-explored, and under-examined."
