'Most of my ministers love Bollywood songs. Maybe they have Indian DNA': Indonesia President
"My ministers, my generals, they all like to dance, they all like to sing. Maybe most of them have Indian DNA. Most of my ministers, they sing Indian songs very well," says Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto
- Jul 7, 2026,
- Updated Jul 7, 2026 8:23 PM IST
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday joked that many of his ministers may "have Indian DNA". He also praised India's democratic institutions and deep civilisational ties with Indonesia.
During a community event in Jakarta attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Subianto said, "My ministers, my generals, they all like to dance, they all like to sing. Maybe most of them have Indian DNA. Most of my ministers, they sing Indian songs very well."
Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to Indonesia.
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Praise For India's Democratic Model
Subianto also lauded India's electoral system, saying Indonesia is closely studying the country's democratic processes.
"We are very closely learning from the Election Commission of India, and frankly, we see India, a country of 1.4 billion people. Many ethnic groups like us, many different regional languages, but managing so many years of peaceful transition of government in many states and in the union of India itself. This is a remarkable achievement. I am also studying this and following the remarkable achievements of India," he said.
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Not The First 'Indian DNA' Remark
This is not the first time Subianto has spoken about having Indian roots.
During his visit to India as the chief guest for the 76th Republic Day celebrations last year, he highlighted the centuries-old civilisational links between the two countries. He noted that Sanskrit continues to shape the Indonesian language and culture.
"A very important part of our language comes from Sanskrit. Our names, many names of Indonesia are actually Sanskrit names. And, in our daily life, the influence of ancient Indian civilisation is very strong. I think it is also part of our genetics," Subianto had said at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He had also revealed that a genetic test confirmed that he had Indian ancestry. "I would like to report to the president, prime minister, vice-president -- a few weeks ago, I had my genetic sequencing test and my DNA test, and they tell me that I have Indian DNA," he had said.
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday joked that many of his ministers may "have Indian DNA". He also praised India's democratic institutions and deep civilisational ties with Indonesia.
During a community event in Jakarta attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Subianto said, "My ministers, my generals, they all like to dance, they all like to sing. Maybe most of them have Indian DNA. Most of my ministers, they sing Indian songs very well."
Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day visit to Indonesia.
Don't Miss | Jakarta looks to import EVMs: Indonesia set to sign MoU with India on poll management
Praise For India's Democratic Model
Subianto also lauded India's electoral system, saying Indonesia is closely studying the country's democratic processes.
"We are very closely learning from the Election Commission of India, and frankly, we see India, a country of 1.4 billion people. Many ethnic groups like us, many different regional languages, but managing so many years of peaceful transition of government in many states and in the union of India itself. This is a remarkable achievement. I am also studying this and following the remarkable achievements of India," he said.
Must Read | BrahMos for Indonesia: PM Modi's Jakarta visit delivers major defence breakthrough
Not The First 'Indian DNA' Remark
This is not the first time Subianto has spoken about having Indian roots.
During his visit to India as the chief guest for the 76th Republic Day celebrations last year, he highlighted the centuries-old civilisational links between the two countries. He noted that Sanskrit continues to shape the Indonesian language and culture.
"A very important part of our language comes from Sanskrit. Our names, many names of Indonesia are actually Sanskrit names. And, in our daily life, the influence of ancient Indian civilisation is very strong. I think it is also part of our genetics," Subianto had said at a banquet hosted by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
He had also revealed that a genetic test confirmed that he had Indian ancestry. "I would like to report to the president, prime minister, vice-president -- a few weeks ago, I had my genetic sequencing test and my DNA test, and they tell me that I have Indian DNA," he had said.