Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in the Netherlands yesterday, held talks with his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte on various issues. The two leaders are known to promote clean energy and are at the forefront in the fight against climate change. On his one-day stay in the European nation, the Indian Prime Minister recived an unusual gift -- a bicycle -- from Rutte after the two leaders met here.
Modi shared two pictures on his twitter account shows him sitting and smiling on the Dutch-made bicycle.
"Thank you @MinPres @markrutte for the bicycle," Modi tweeted today, soon after his return from the Netherlands where he held talks with the Dutch prime minister on global issues like counter-terrorism and climate change.
While in one picture, Modi is sitting on the bicycle with Rutte standing beside him, another picture shows Indian PM holding the handle of the bicycle and posing for shutterbugs.
Rutte had praised India for its commitment to renewal energy and to the Paris climate agreement.
He had praised Modi for announcing major sustainable initiatives like 'Clean India' and 'Make in India'.
Rutte, 50, usually cycles to work.
In the Netherlands, cycling is a way of life. In fact, with 18 million bicycles and just 16 million Dutch inhabitants, there are more bicycles than people, according to the invest in Holland website. However, it is highly unlikely that Modi will ever be able to ride the gifted bicycle in Delhi or any other Indian city.
In a special gesture, Rutt had yesterday tweeted in both Hindi and Dutch languages welcoming Modi and said he was keen to meet him at a time when the two countries are celebrating 70 years of the establishment of Indo-Dutch diplomatic relations.
Modi returned to New Delhi this morning after concluding a three-nation tour to Portugal, the US and the Netherlands.
