India, May 30 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now the country's "biggest brand ambassador", according to Union Union culture and tourism minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who said India's identity abroad was only linked with Mahatma Gandhi earlier.

Till 10-15 years ago, he said, "If a visitor would tell anyone abroad that he or she was an Indian, the answer would be, 'India! Oh, Mr Gandhi'." The image and identity of India remained "stuck with Gandhi-ji", said the minister in an interaction reported by news agency PTI on Saturday.

"But today, and I say it with confidence, you can go to any country in the world... from the smallest Caribbean island to America, and from South Asia to West Asia, you can go anywhere, and if you tell som...