Modi is Mr Popular

PM spent time with Obama, Putin and Abbott even as global poll said his popularity had surged

BRISBANE: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was much sought after at the G20 with world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, spending time chatting and laughing with him.

At the G20 Retreat, ahead of the summit, Modi was flocked by Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

Abbott had hosted a barbecue lunch for the retreat. He tweeted a photo of Modi sharing a lighter moment with Obama and himself during the retreat.

Earlier, Abbott warmly welcomed Modi to the G20. As they shook hands, Modi embraced the Australian premier.

The Age, which has been posting comments and photos of the event live, said of the Abbott-Modi hug: “The stand out shake so far has been India’s Prime Minister Modi, who gave Abbott a hug. An ‘awww’ could be heard across the media centre.”

Modi’s popularity has surged higher with a Bloomberg Global Poll saying that three of the newest leaders in emerging markets are enjoying strong support among analysts and investors while two of the longer-standing figures plunged in popularity.

Fifty six per cent of respondents in the survey said they are optimistic on the policies of PM Modi, more than five times those who were pessimistic.

Those who view Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies unfavourably surged to 87%, the worst rating for any national l eader since Bloomberg began the polls in 2009. Meanwhile, 61% of respondents had a pessimistic view of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff ’s policies.