Narendra Modi still set for Australia visit despite Joe Biden's cancellation

The leader of India will still visit Australia next week, despite Joe Biden's no-show.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in New Delhi in March. Source: AAP, SIPA USA / Hindustan Times

KEY POINTS:

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will still travel to Australia next week.
• US President Joe Biden has cancelled his trip to the Quad summit in Sydney.
• Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is not expected to travel.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will still travel to Australia next week, despite the cancellation of the Sydney Quad summit, Anthony Albanese has confirmed.

US President Joe Biden cancelled his trip to Australia on Wednesday, confirming he will instead return home to hold crisis talks over the country's debt ceiling.

Mr Biden had planned to visit Canberra after meeting Mr Albanese, Mr Modi, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida for a Quad meeting in Sydney next Wednesday. The four will instead meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima this weekend.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese completed a lap of honour on a chariot inside Narendra Modi Stadium before the start of the fourth Test cricket match between India and Australia. Source: Twitter / @narendramodi

But speaking to ABC radio on Wednesday, Mr Albanese confirmed his Indian counterpart will travel to Australia regardless.

“Prime Minister Modi will be here next week for a bilateral meeting with myself. He will also have business meetings and will hold a very public event at Homebush at the Olympic site in Sydney," he said.

Mr Kishida is not expected to travel to Australia. Mr Albanese said he "was just coming for the Quad".

Labor has been intent on deepening Australia's ties with India, and aims to increase trade between the two countries to $100 billion.

What are Narendra Modi's plans in Australia?

The Indian premier's last trip to Australia in 2014 pulled a 16,000-strong crowd for an appearance at the Sydney SuperDome, and a similar event is planned for next week.

Social media posts from local affiliates of Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suggest supporters have organised chartered flights between Melbourne and Sydney to attend the event.

Plans are also in train for Mr Modi to be present when the Sydney suburb of Harris Park is officially titled "Little India" next week.

Narendra Modi and Anthony Albanese in March. Source: Press Association / Sondeep Shankar

The BJP remains popular in India, particularly among its Hindu majority, despite human rights groups accusing it of targeting the country's Muslim minority and cracking down on critical media.

Mr Modi has always vehemently denied the allegations.

His latest visit will come just two months after Mr Albanese travelled to India for a three-day trade trip, parading alongside Mr Modi at a cricket stadium in his home state of Gujarat.

Temple vandalism likely to be raised

While in India, Mr Albanese declined to criticise Mr Modi’s government, viewed by its critics as a hardline Hindu nationalist regime, over allegations of human rights abuses.

But after Mr Modi used a joint press conference to raise vandalism at Hindu temples in Australia, Mr Albanese did promise to use the “full force of the law” to pursue the perpetrators here.

"We don't tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we've seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches," he said.

"This has no place in Australia.”

Mr Modi confirmed he had raised the incidents directly with Mr Albanese, saying the news “disturbs our mind”.

“Our teams will be in regular contact on this matter, and will cooperate as much as possible,” he said.

Labor MP Andrew Charlton criticised "religious extremists" earlier this month, when another temple in his western Sydney electorate was vandalised with the message: "Declare Modi a terrorist".