Mauritius is keen to become a “real bridge” for India to invest and connect with the rest of Africa and with Europe,” said Showkutally Soodhun, the new vice prime minister of the Indian Ocean island who is of Indian descent and who is proud of his “Hindi roots”.

“We want that Mauritius be a bridge for India, a real bridge for India, and through Mauritius they can come and invest and go to Europe and Africa. This is very important,” Soodhun said.

Soodhun, who was in India to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Gandhinagar and later in the capital to attend the World Hindi Day celebrations, was full of praise for the Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “This is a new Government (in India) and we are also a new Government. It is a very dynamic Government,” he said of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Government.