'Come join my party': Israeli PM Naftali Bennett tells PM Modi, calls him 'most popular person'
Glasgow, Nov 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Israeli counterpart Naftali Bennett on Tuesday shared a light moment during their maiden formal meeting here when the latter informed the Indian leader about his popularity in Israel and invited him to join his party.
Prime Minister Modi met Bennett on the sidelines of the COP26 climate summit here on Tuesday during which they reviewed the bilateral ties besides exchanging views about expanding cooperation in areas of high-technology and innovation.
Modi and Bennett's maiden formal meeting came after their brief interaction on Monday during the climate conference.
According to a video shared on social media, Bennett told Prime Minister Modi, "you are the most popular person in Israel."
Replying to the comment, Modi said, "thank you, thank you."
Bennett further asked Modi to join his Yamina Party.
"Come and join my party," Bennett said, as the two leaders laughed and shook hands.
Earlier, recalling their brief meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Modi said that the people of India deeply value the friendship with Israel.
"Enhancing friendship with Israel. Prime Ministers @narendramodi and @naftalibennett had a fruitful meeting in Glasgow. Both leaders discussed deepening various avenues of cooperation for the benefit of our citizens, the Prime Minister's Office tweeted.
The meeting between Modi and Bennett comes after Jaishankar, during his visit to Israel last month, extended an invitation to the Israeli premier on behalf of Modi to visit India.
According to Israeli media reports, Bennett, who became prime minister in June this year, is likely to visit India next year.
India and Israel elevated their bilateral relations to a strategic partnership during the historic visit of Prime Minister Modi to Israel in July 2017.
Since then, the relationship between the two countries has focused on expanding knowledge-based partnership, which includes collaboration in innovation and research, including boosting the 'Make in India' initiative.
Excellent meeting with @NarendraModi at @COP26.
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) November 2, 2021
Narendra, I want to thank you for your historic role in shaping the ties between our countries.
Together, we can bring India-Israel relations to a whole new level and build a better & brighter future for our nations.
🇮🇱🤝🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/sfRk7cNA7d
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka: Elderly man dies after his car catches fire
Chikkaballapur (Karnataka) (PTI): A 70-year-old man died after his car caught fire, leaving his body charred, police said on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Uday Kumar, a resident of Raghuvanahalli on Kanakapura Road in Bengaluru, they said.
The incident occurred near Achepalli Cross in Bagepalli taluk of Chikkaballapur district on Sunday when he was returning after visiting his mother in his native place, police said.
Local police were alerted by passersby who noticed the car on fire. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the blaze. However, the flames had spread rapidly through the vehicle, resulting in his death. Later, his charred body was recovered from the car, police said.
Citing preliminary investigation, a senior police officer said it appeared to be a case of suicide as investigators did not find any evidence indicating an accident or a mechanical fault in the car that could have triggered the fire.
"However, teams have collected samples and other evidence, and further investigation is underway to ascertain whether there was any technical fault that led to the fire," the officer said.
