Prime Minister addresses the Indian Diaspora in Malaysia (February 07, 2026)

Prime Minister participated in an Indian community reception in Kuala Lumpur today. On arrival at the event, he was given a rousing welcome by members of the Indian community. A special cultural performance by 800 artistes on stage was the highlight of the welcome. The performance entered the Malaysian Book of Records as the largest performance of Indian traditional dances in the country. As a special gesture, H.E. Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia also joined Prime Minister at the event.

2. Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister thanked the community for the colorful welcome and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for his gracious presence and warm remarks. He conveyed his appreciation for the contributions of the Indian diaspora to the progress and prosperity of Malaysia and for their role in strengthening India-Malaysia friendship. He reiterated India's steadfast commitment to the welfare of the Indian nationals in Malaysia and to deepening people-to-people ties between the two countries. Highlighting that Diwali has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, he noted that this was a recognition of the shared culture and diversity of the two countries. Recalling the history of AZAD HIND FAUJ [Indian National Army] in Malaysia, he paid respects to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Speaking about the complementary strengths of the India-Malaysia partnership, Prime Minister labelled it as IMPACT - i.e. - INDIA MALAYSIA PARTNERSHIP FOR ADVANCING COLLECTIVE TRANSFORMATION. He called upon the community to contribute towards realizing the vision of VIKSIT BHARAT and Malaysia Madani.

3. Prime Minister highlighted the rapid progress made by india in recent years. In this context, he elaborated upon transformative changes in the fields of economic development, next generation infrastructure, green development, solar energy, digital roadmap and new and emerging technologies. Prime Minister underlined that India, in a decade, had made a significant jump from being the 11th largest economy to the 4th largest this year, and soon to be the 3rd largest. Speaking on the success of the fintech revolution in India, he noted that 50% of all global real-time digital payments were being in India. He also stated that UPI based payment facility would soon be available in Malaysia, which will give a boost to tourism between the two countries.

4. As a tribute to the shared heritage between the two countries, Prime Minister announced setting up a dedicated Thiruvalluvar Center at Universiti Malaya in Kuala Lumpur. After the annoucement by Prime Minister in August 2024, a Thiruvalluvar Chair of Indian Studies has been created at the same university. He also announced Thiruvalluvar scholarships to facilitate academic exchanges between India and Malaysia. The Center and the scholarships will promote the timeless teachings of Thiruvalluvar, enhance scholarly exchanges and strengthen cultural connections, including Indian philosophy and Tamil language, between the two countries.

5. Prime Minister announced India's decision to open its first Consulate in Malaysia. This initiative was received with applause and appreciation by the community. The opening of the Consulate will strengthen ongoing cooperation between India and Malaysia and expand India's outreach to the Indian community in Malaysia.

6. Malaysia is home to over 2.9 million members of Indian diaspora, which is the third largest Indian diaspora in the world. Among the special initiatives taken recently for their welfare are the extension of OCI Card facility to the sixth generation of Indian-origin people living in Malaysia, and the replenishment of Indian Scholarships Trust Fund (ISTF) with 3 million Ringgit Malaysia for the benefit of Malaysian-Indian students. The full Address of Prime Minister may be seen here [Link]

Kuala Lumpur
February 07, 2026