Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the new campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah (The Saifee Academy) in Mumbai’s Marol, the educational institution of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, ahead of the municipal elections in the city.
Addressing a gathering, Modi said that he was not there as their prime minister but as part of their family.
The Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah is the principal educational institute of the Dawoodi Bohra community. The academy works to protect the learning traditions and literary culture of the community, and the new centre will impart Arabic learning.
"I am here neither as a PM nor a CM. The fortunate that I have is something that perhaps very few people received. I have been connected to this family for 4 generations. All 4 generations have visited my home," said Modi.
Modi has shared a cordial relation with the community, a subgroup within the Shia Islamic sect that is known for its business acumen and has often met them multiple times both in India and abroad.
"If go anywhere in the country even abroad, my Bohra brothers and sisters definitely come to meet me," Modi said.