“I Can Tell You…”: PM Narendra Modi On Real Madrid vs Barcelona Fever In India

As Barcelona beat Real Madrid 4-0 in the El Clasico showdown on Saturday, the echoes of their emphatic win were heard all across the globe. Globally, there’s hardly any football match that comes close to the buzz that a battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid produces, be it in La Liga or the Champions League. As India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez held a roadshow in Gujarat’s Vadodara, even football talks buzzed across the city.

Citing the example of Barcelona’s victory against Real Madrid in La Liga, PM Modi highlighted how passionately the match was discussed in India, arguably as intensely as it would’ve been in Spain.

“Spanish football is liked a lot in India. Yesterday, the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the discussions were held in India, too. Barcelona’s brilliant win was a subject of discussion here as well. I can also tell you that there was as much banter between the fans of the two clubs in India, as it would’ve been in Spain,” PM Modi said during his speech at the event.

PM Modi’s football knowledge will surprise you…#RealMadrid #Barcelona #TataAirbus pic.twitter.com/JmsZkV1O4F

— PoliticsSolitics (@IamPolSol) October 28, 2024

As for the road show, both the PMs waved at the crowd gathered along the 2.5-km stretch of the route from the airport to the Tata aircraft complex in the city which they will inaugurate.

Modi and Sanchez were greeted with performances by various artists showcasing India’s rich culture as they proceeded towards the Tata Advanced Systems facility.

The two leaders jointly inaugurated the Tata Advanced Systems facility before heading to the historic Laxmi Vilas Palace to hold a bilateral meeting.

The complex for manufacturing C-295 aircraft by the Tata Advanced Systems is the first private sector final assembly line for military aircraft in India.

As many as 40 aircraft will be built in the Vadodara facility as part of an agreement, while aviation behemoth Airbus will deliver 16 aircraft directly.

The Tata Advanced Systems is responsible for making these 40 aircraft in India and the facility will be the first private sector final assembly line (FAL) for military planes in India.

It will involve the full development of a complete ecosystem, from manufacture to assembly, test and qualification, to delivery and maintenance of the complete life cycle of the aircraft.

Apart from the Tatas, leading defence public sector units, such as Bharat Electronics and Bharat Dynamics, as well as private micro, small and medium enterprises will contribute to this programme.

With PTI Inputs