NEW DELHI, March 29 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Singapore on Sunday to attend the state funeral of its founding father Lee Kuan Yew.

"I am visiting Singapore at a sad moment. The leadership of Lee Kuan Yew is the reason behind the transformation of Singapore in one generation," Modi told the media.

Calling Lee a "great thinker," he said Indians share Singapore' s grief over the loss of the country's first prime minister.

"Yew believed in India's potential more than any of us did. People of India share Singapore's grief over the loss of the founding father and leader," Modi said.

Lee, who ruled Singapore from 1965 to 1990, died last Monday at the age of 91.