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PM Modi set to make first ‘state visit’ to the US: Here’s what’s on the agenda

While pm modi has visited the us six times since 2014, this will be his first 'state visit', the highest ranked visit according to diplomatic protocol..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to make a historic state visit to the United States for three days from June 21-23. While PM Modi has visited the US six times since 2014, this will be his first ‘ state visit ‘, the highest ranked visit according to diplomatic protocol – an honour reserved for close and strategic allies.

The ceremonial visit will see Modi attending a prestigious state dinner at the White House, holding talks with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris , and participating in International Yoga Day celebrations at the UN in New York.

“This historic visit offers a valuable opportunity for India and the US to further deepen a comprehensive and forward-looking global strategic partnership,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

Here’s what’s on PM Modi’s agenda for the state visit.

Day 1: Yoga at UN headquarters

Prime Minister Modi will take part in the International Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations headquarters in New York on June 21.

"I am looking forward to participating in the 9th International Day of Yoga celebrations at UN with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the UNHQ North Lawn next week," President of United Nations General Assembly Mr Csaba Korosi said in a tweet on June 16.

Responding, Modi wrote, “Looking forward to seeing you at the International Day of Yoga celebrations at the UNHQ. Your participation makes the programme even more special. Yoga brings the world together towards furthering good health and wellness. May it keep getting more popular globally.”

Day 2: Modi to address the US Congress

PM Modi is scheduled to address the American legislature on June 22, and is set to become the first Indian prime minister to speak before the US Congress twice.

Thanking the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy, for the invitation, PM Modi said, "I am honored to accept and look forward to once again address a Joint Meeting of the Congress. We are proud of our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the US, built upon the foundation of shared democratic values, strong people-to-people ties, and an unwavering commitment to global peace and prosperity.”

PM Modi to hold high-level talks with President Biden

The prime minister will receive a ceremonial welcome at the White House on June 22, and meet President Biden for a high-level dialogue, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

PM Modi had met US National Security Advisor on June 13, and had conveyed that he looked forward to a productive visit and an engaging conversation with President Biden on bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest.

Some “really big, historic and exciting” announcements are likely to be made on defence cooperation and boosting India’s indigenous military industrial base, the US Department of Defense, also called the Pentagon, has said.

State dinner at White House

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a state dinner – usually a grand affair that sees American leaders and celebrities in attendance – at the White House in Washington DC on June 22, as per a press statement.

Lunch with Kamala Harris, meetings with CEOs

On June 23, the prime minister will be jointly hosted at a luncheon by US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

“In addition to the official engagements, the Prime Minister is scheduled to have several curated interactions with leading CEOs, professionals and other stakeholders. He will also meet members of the Indian diaspora,” the MEA said.

After this, in the second leg of his two-nation visit, Modi will travel to Egypt from June 24 to 25.

This is only the third state visit hosted by Biden, following those of French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

• United States

Janata Dal (Secular) leader Prajwal Revanna, who is at the centre of a sexual abuse case, travelled on a diplomatic passport, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Thursday, and added that no political clearance was either sought from or issued by the MEA with respect to the travel of the MP to Germany.

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PM Modi’s first state visit to US: How is it different from previous trips

PM Narendra Modi in U.S: Why is state visit significant? What is a state visit?

• Day 1 (June 21): On June 21, the PM will lead an International Yoga Day event at the United Nations Secretariat in New York City where he will be joined by several top Indian-Americans.
• Day 2 (June 22): After wrapping up events and meetings in New York, the Prime Minister will fly to Washington for the official state visit at the White House. The PM will also address a US Congress joint session. This will be PM Modi's second address to the US Congress, which makes him the first Indian leader to do so. He first addressed the US Congress in June 2016.
• Day (June 23): On June 23, the US state department will host a lunch for PM Modi and his team. He will be joined by Vice President Kamala Harris and secretary of state Anthony Blinken. Post lunch, the PM will address an event organised by the US-India Strategic Patnership Forum in Washington, D.C. America's top CEOs and business leaders will be in attendance. Later in the day, PM Modi will head for a mega event at Ronald Reagan Centre and international trade centre in Washington to address the Indian diaspora.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to the United States to meet with President Joe Biden and address the Congress, with military and technological ties on the agenda as his hosts seek a regional counter to China.

“We seek to deepen India-USA ties in key sectors like trade, commerce, innovation, technology and other such areas,” Modi posted on Twitter before he left on Tuesday for his first state visit to the US since assuming power in 2014.

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India’s pm narendra modi to address us congress, us pushing india to seal armed drone buy when modi visits: report, cpj urges us to press india’s modi on media freedom during visit, rights groups to screen bbc film on modi before white house visit.

The leader of the world’s most populous nation will attend a state dinner at the White House on Thursday – only Biden’s third since his inauguration.

Hailed by New Delhi as an “historic” chance to “expand and consolidate” ties, the visit comes at a time of rising concerns over the treatment of its Muslim minority, human rights, and democratic backsliding under the Hindu nationalist leader.

But Biden has made clear he sees US ties to India as a defining relationship that will jointly address some of the most difficult global challenges in coming years, including climate change, disruptions related to artificial intelligence, and China’s growing power in the Indo-Pacific.

Visit amid rights concerns

Modi’s three-day visit to the US comes amid human rights groups and political opponents accusing the Indian leader of stifling dissent and pursuing divisive policies that discriminate against Muslims and other minorities.

Elaine Pearson, Asia director for Human Rights Watch, urged Biden in a letter not to shy away from confronting Modi on India’s “worsening human rights situation”.

Her organisation plans a Tuesday screening in Washington of a BBC documentary critical of Modi that was banned by the Indian government.

The documentary delves into Modi’s oversight as chief minister of Gujarat during the deadly 2002 anti-Muslim riots that left more than 1,000 dead. Rights groups say the official death toll is an undercount.

In 2005, Washington revoked Modi’s visa to the US, citing concerns that he did not act to stop the Gujarat violence. An investigation approved by India’s Supreme Court later absolved Modi, but the stain of the dark moment has lingered.

More recently, Modi has faced criticism over legislation amending the country’s citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalisation for some migrants but excludes Muslims, a rise in violence against Muslims and other religious minorities by Hindu nationalists, and the recent conviction of India’s main opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi’s surname.

“Modi’s government has also demonstrated blatant bias in protecting BJP supporters and affiliates accused in a range of crimes, including murder, assault, corruption, and sexual violence,” Pearson wrote, using the initials for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.

“At the international level, Modi’s government has often proven unwilling to stand with other governments on key human rights crises, abstaining or refraining from condemning grave human rights violations elsewhere.”

New Delhi-based rights activist Kavita Krishnan told Al Jazeera Biden is “acting as a propagandist for Modi by publicly saying that Modi is so popular and I should take his autograph”.

In May, during a meeting of the Quad, an international partnership of the US, Australia, India and Japan, in Hiroshima, Biden had jokingly said he should take Modi’s autograph given how tickets for the dinner he is hosting at the White House have sold out. “You are too popular,” he said.

“When you do that, it means you are actively participating in Modi’s politics where he tries to project himself as a world leader who is exceptionally popular,” Krishnan told Al Jazeera.

By doing so, she said, the US is “telling the world as well as the vulnerable people in India that human rights don’t really matter if a leader is popular”.

“Then why talk of human rights? The same then applies to Hitler, Putin, and Trump,” she said. “Why is India getting a different treatment [from US]? Is it because India is a big market and they are willing to throw Indians under the bus since they want to woo Modi? What is it? This is the question I want to ask.”

The Indian government has continually defended its human rights record and insisted that the country’s democratic principles remain robust.

India’s Russia ties

The US has also avoided publicly chastising India for its muted criticism of old ally Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and New Delhi’s growing reliance on Russian oil, which stands at 19 percent of India’s annual crude imports from two percent in 2021.

When asked by the Wall Street Journal in an interview published on Monday about critical comments in the US for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Modi said: “I don’t think this type of perception is widespread in the US. I think India’s position is well known and well understood in the entire world. The world has full confidence that India’s top-most priority is peace.”

Modi in the interview called for changes to global institutions like the United Nations to adapt them for an increasingly “multipolar world order”, and make them more representative of the world’s less-affluent countries.

India would like to be a permanent member of the UN Security Council, he said. “The world should be asked if it wants India to be there.”

Trade between the US and India in 2022 climbed to a record $191bn. The nearly five million Indian diaspora in the US – its wealthiest ethnic group – has become an economic, cultural and political powerhouse.

Biden has sought to reinvigorate the Quad while the US defence sales to India have risen from near zero in 2008 to more than $20bn in 2020.

Modi’s US visit begins on Wednesday when he will lead foreign dignitaries and bureaucrats in a session for International Yoga Day at the UN Secretariat in New York. Yoga, an ancient discipline first practised by Hindu sages, is now one of India’s most successful cultural exports after Bollywood.

Nine years ago, Modi successfully lobbied the UN to designate June 21 as International Yoga Day. Since then, he has harnessed yoga as a cultural soft power to stretch his nation’s diplomatic reach and project himself as an “ascetic” leader.

The official state visit portion of Modi’s trip starts on Thursday and includes an Oval Office meeting with Biden, an address to a joint meeting of Congress , and a lavish White House dinner hosted by Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

On Friday, Modi will be honoured at a State Department luncheon hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and he is scheduled to address members of the Indian diaspora before leaving Washington.

India’s ANI news agency on Tuesday said Modi will also meet Tesla’s Elon Musk, who also owns Twitter, among other business leaders during the trip.

The Indian leader will depart for Egypt from the US for a two-day visit starting Saturday.

PM Modi In US Highlights: PM Modi Concludes 4-Day US Visit, Next Stop Egypt

Pm modi us visit live updates: prime minister modi was visiting the us from june 21-24 at the invitation of president biden and the first lady..

PM Modi in US Live Updates: This is PM Modi's first state visit to the US.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi capped his power-packed US state visit with an address to the Indian community in Washington which focussed on visas and 'new India'. "A lot of you have had issues with  H1B visa renewals . We have now decided that you will not have to go outside america to renew these visas. This visa will get renewed in America itself. We will try and implement a similar procedure for L category visas in the future," he said.

His speech came hours after he addressed a group of young entrepreneurs and professionals at the John F Kennedy Center in Washington, said the partnership between India and America "is not of convenience, it is a partnership of conviction, shared commitments".

Earlier in the day, PM Modi attended the state department luncheon with Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Prime Minister Modi attended the State Dinner at the South Lawn of the White House yesterday, hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The dinner was attended by big names in the tech world and billionaire industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Google CEO Sunder Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Before that, PM Modi addressed the US Congress after he held bilateral talks with Joe Biden at the Oval Office.

Prime Minister Modi was visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and the First Lady.

Here are the Live Updates on PM Modi's US Visit:

After the successful visit to the USA, PM @narendramodi emplanes for Egypt. pic.twitter.com/a5YX446nTG - PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 24, 2023

#WATCH | Google CEO Sundar Pichai after meeting PM Modi, says "It was an honour to meet PM Modi during the historic visit to the US. We shared with the Prime Minister that Google is investing $10 billion in India's digitisation fund. We are announcing the opening of our global... pic.twitter.com/ri42wI3Adv - ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2023

#WATCH | US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti speaks on PM Modi's visit, "I feel that AI is the future- America and India. We had more things that we got done than any other in the history. This was an exceptional visit. We are now in the deepest and the broadest friendship of... pic.twitter.com/CQX5YxqUqw - ANI (@ANI) June 23, 2023

Amazon to invest another 15 billion dollars in India : Andrew Jassy, Amazon CEO #ModiInAmerica pic.twitter.com/Ht6IrHnFk4 - Megha Prasad (@MeghaSPrasad) June 23, 2023

Front-page coverage of PM @narendramodi 's visit to USA in major US dailies. Truly a transformational visit! pic.twitter.com/yjdkAiwmFq - Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 23, 2023

#HistoricStateVisit2023 #IndiaUSAPartnership Testimony to the friendship between India and the US, the iconic lower Manhattan landmark @OneWTC sparkling in the lights of tricolor, welcoming @narendramodi on the historic State Visit. @IndianEmbassyUS @ANI @Yoshita_Singh ... pic.twitter.com/oZw4gSqWhU - India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 23, 2023

🤝 #IndiaUSAPartnership Welcoming Prime Minister @narendramodi on the #HistoricStateVisit2023 & celebrating #IndiaUSAFriendship Bathed in the colors of India's flag, the breathtaking Niagara Falls look magnificent amidst fireworks. Thank you Council of Heritage and Arts of... pic.twitter.com/nn8mHa4i54 - India in New York (@IndiainNewYork) June 23, 2023

Together, the United States and India will shape the future as we work towards a world that is open, prosperous, secure, and resilient. pic.twitter.com/E7NFDpEmGX - President Biden (@POTUS) June 23, 2023

• PM said that even after the two decades of 9/11 and one decade of 26/11, the problem of terrorism remains a pressing challenge for the global community.
• Clearly, what he was highlighting was the need for the international community to recognize that the people who sponsor terrorism, support terrorism, they continue to pose a serious challenge to the safety and security of our societies and have to be very sternly and firmly dealt with
• When the Prime Minister and the President held their discussions all aspects of such global challenges were discussed between the two and how India and US could cooperate to mitigate, address, try and deal with this challenge as comprehensively as possible that was also discussed between the two leaders.
• And going forward, it would be our effort to see how some of those discussions can translate into concrete. Cooperative decision between India and the US
• When the PM and President Biden held discussion after the ceremonial welcome, technology featured very prominently in the discussion
• 20-25 areas of technology partnership that have been identified in the joint statement are a direct result of the discussion between the two leaders
• India, US to work on developing technology
• India, US to partner in semiconductor, space
• India, US to collaborate on cybersecurity
• General Electric, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited signed mou on jet engine production
• India to procure predator drones from US
• India now a signatory to Artemis Accords

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PM Modi makes first state visit to US: What is it? How is it different from other visits?

PM Modi is in Washington for his maiden state visit at the invitation of the Bidens. A state visit is made by the head of government or state at the invitation of the US president. It is an exceedingly rare honour — a leader can receive just one such invite during a US president’s four-year term

After wowing the crowds and indulging in yoga diplomacy at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his second leg of his United States visit – the state visit on the invitation of US president Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

“Reached Washington DC. The warmth of the Indian community and the blessings of Indra Devta made the arrival even more special,” Modi tweeted as he made his way to the American capital.

Modi arrived at the Joint Base Andrews in Washington, DC where he was given a guard of honour amid incessant rains. The prime minister, who was wearing a raincoat, stood for the national anthem of the two countries.

Reached Washington DC. The warmth of the Indian community and the blessings of Indra Devta made the arrival even more special. pic.twitter.com/V0sXSyUbTX — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023

“The Official State visit moves to its next phase. PM @narendramodi accorded a ceremonial welcome and guard of honour as he sets foot at the Joint Base Andrews airport in Washington DC. In Washington DC, PM will hold bilateral meeting with  @POTUS @JoeBiden; address the Joint Session of the US Congress; and interact with CEOs and a cross-section of Indian diaspora,” Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said in a tweet.

While Modi has visited the United States on a few occasions before, this is his first state visit.

Modi will also attend a state dinner at the White House along with a slew of dignitaries.

Let’s take a closer look at what a state visit is, how it differs from a regular visit and visits by other Indian leaders to the United States:

A state visit, explained

According to the Indian Express , a state visit is one made by the head of government or a state.

It can be made only at the invitation of the sitting US president in his or her capacity as head of state.

State visits are the highest-ranking visits that can be made by foreign leaders.

Given their lofty status, they also occur extremely rarely.

A country can have just one state visit during a US president’s four-year term, as per RFERL .

According to Indian Express , while such trips are only made for a few days, they are filled with pomp and circumstance.

The visiting dignitary is afforded among other ceremonies

• Greetings on the tarmac after landing • A 21-gun salute at the White House on arrival • A state dinner • Exchange of diplomatic gifts • An invite to stay at the US president’s guesthouse Blair House • Flags streetlining

Historian Matthew Costello told news agency PTI that a state visit is only reserved for closest friends and allies.

Costello added this involves six months of meticulous planning by the White House and displays the best of American hospitality.

“The day of (the state visit), there will be a state arrival ceremony at the White House, typically on the South Lawn. The President and the visiting Head of State will exchange remarks,” Costello said.

“They’ll listen to the national anthems of the respective countries, review their troops, and then they’ll go into the White House for conversation, and diplomatic exchanges later that night, there is a state dinner held in their honour, and then they spend the night there as the overnight guest of the president, the First Lady at Blair House, the president’s official guest house,” he added.

The Bureau of Global Public Affairs on its website says that a state dinner hosted by the president and first lady is the high point of the state visit.

“The menu typically features food and wines that reflect the culinary traditions of the guests of honour, but with an American twist. It represents the friendship between the nations of the hosts and the honoured guests,” the website states.

Other types of visits and how they differ from state visits

According to RFEL , the other types of visits a member of a foreign government can make in order of importance are.

• Official visit • Official working visit • Working visit • Private visit

Official visits also come at the invitation of the US president.

The visiting dignitary is also offered many of the ceremonies held during a state visit including Blair House, arrival and departure ceremony and official dinner.

The main difference here is the rank of the visitor, the number of guns used during the salute and the type of dinner held in their honour – an official dinner versus a state dinner.

During an official working visit, a stay at Blair House is offered and the dignitary is given a meeting with the president and a working luncheon with the president and secretary of state at the White House.

A dinner or reception may or may not be held. There are no ceremonies on arrival and departure, gifts are not exchanged and spouses do not attend the working luncheon.

A working visit comprises a meeting at the White House with the president.

A private visit is when the foreign dignitary makes the trip without being invited by the president. A meeting with the US president may be requested and granted as a ‘working session’.

While state visits have the most prestige attached to them, the type of visit makes little difference when it comes to the actual amount of work done, as per  Indian Express.

According to the newspaper, working visits can do as much as state visits when it comes to improving relations with other nations.

The newspaper added that given the pomp and circumstance surrounding state visits, more work is actually conducted during other less-prestigious visits.

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As Mel French, who worked as the protocol director at the state department, told RFERL, “Ranking the visits gives a level to what the president wants to do when he invites someone to this country.”

“Often they really need an official working visit where they can sit down and work through problems or things that they need to talk about. An official working visit is really a visit of substance and policy. A state visit and an official visit are more of a ceremonial type thing where we are honouring a country.”

Modi has previously visited the United States on five occasions, according to the state department’s Office of The Historian.

• In 2019, Modi participated in a Houston Rally
• In 2017, Modi made an official working visit
• In 2016, Modi had a working lunch
• In 2016, Modi attended the Nuclear Security Summit and
• In 2014, Modi made a working visit

State visits by Indian leaders to US

While several Indian leaders have visited the United States, just two have made state visits – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2009 under President Barack Obama and President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan under President John F Kennedy in 1963.

Singh’s visit to the United States was Obama’s first since being elected president. He was accompanied by his wife Gursharan Kaur.

In 2016, then chief White House photographer Pete Souza put up images of Obama and his wife Michelle respectively escorting Manmohan and Kaur during the visit.

Obama, Manmohan and other delegates held a meeting the White House and also addressed the media.

Manmohan during the trip also met then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Radhakrishnan, who was President of India from 1962 to 1967, was known as a philosopher-statesman.

He visited Williamsburg (Virginia), Philadelphia (Pennsylvania), Cape Canaveral (Florida), Denver (Colorado), Los Angeles, and New York City.

With inputs from agencies

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Explainer: What's special about PM Modi's visit to the US this time?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the US multiple times for bi-lateral and multi-lateral meetings since the beginning of his tenure in 2014. But, this visit assumes a lot of signifance because none of his visits earlier to the US were classified as a ‘state visit’.

For a state visit is considered as the highest ranked visit by a head of the government of a state.

Modi’s earlier visits fell under the category of a working visit (2014), working lunch (2016) and official working visit (2017). While, his 2019 visit has been described by the US officially, as one in which Modi “Participated in a rally in Houston, Texas”.

On June 21, Modi will travel to the US on his first state visit at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. All eyes are on Modi’s high-profile visit to the US predicted by political analysts to be a “significant milestone” in the India US bilateral relationship.

Here’s why all eyes are on Modi’s state visit to the US on June 21 to June 24:

Why is this visit different?

This is said to be Modi’s first state visit to the US during his nine-year long reign as PM. This means that US President Joe Biden will host Modi during his visit and he will be offered a room for four days and three nights at Blair House, the President’s official guest house, located within walking distance of the White House.

What are state visits?

It is the highest ranked visit and are accorded to America’s closest allies and friends. It is to be differentiated from other kinds of visits accorded to a ranking member of a foreign government like an “official visit,” an “official working visit,” a “working visit,” and a “private visit.” The “state visit” , the highest ranking visit can only be offered to a chief of state – such as the President of a country or a reigning monarch – and must be at the invitation of the US President.

It is the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations and is full of official public ceremonies. It is a visit of a state rather than visit of a leader.

Also read: ‘You are too popular,’ Biden tells Modi as he asks him for autograph

What will the state visit involve?

In short, a state visit ensures a meeting with the US President, a state dinner at the White House, a full honors arrival and departure ceremony on the south grounds of the White House, and a 21 gun salute. Gifts may be exchanged and spouses can attend the ceremonies and dinners.

On June 22, the US President and his wife will host a state dinner. Earlier, on the south lawns of the White House, President Biden and the First Lady will welcome the Indian Prime Minister amid a 21-gun salute. The White House has sent out invitations for the welcome ceremony, which many Indian Americans were clambering to be invited to.

This invitation reportedly marks the first time a country-specific diaspora has been invited to the White House in such large numbers, said news reports.

Why is this visit important?

According to political analysts, Modi has been invited for several bilateral and multilateral meetings with American Presidents in the past, but this official ‘state visit’ accompanied with a state dinner before the G20 Summit in September, is a signal that the US considers India to be an equal partner. The first Indian Prime Minister to receive a state dinner at the White House was Jawaharlal Nehru in October 1949, after which many Indian PMs have been invited to enjoy a sumptuous meal at the White House.

The visit is also meant to strengthen the two countries’ “shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific” and their shared resolve to elevate their strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space, said official releases by the two countries.

Why is US wooing India?

At another level, the visit is important for the US as it tries to counter China’s growing clout and wants to possibly shift its investments to India, said experts. According to political scientists, the Biden administration is “desperately courting India” because they need a potential counter to China, for the purpose of establishing a “global supply chain and for investment reasons.”

This visit can also provide an opening for the US to urge India to openly condemn Russian  invasion of Ukraine.

“We look forward to hosting Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi in June, whose visit will celebrate the deep partnership between the United States and India,” US Secretary of Stae, Anthony Blinken tweeted recently, weeks before Modi’s visit.

While John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson told reporters recently on June 6, two weeks before Modi’s visit, “India is a strong partner of US at very many levels.” He cited additional defence cooperation deals, “lot of economic trade”, and for India being a member of the Quad and a key partner and friend of Indo-Pacific security.

“There’s innumberable reasons why India certainly matters not just bilaterally between the two of our nations, but multi-laterally on many multiple levels,” he stressed.

Analysts believe that the US is looking for a location for its manufacturing. The classic case often given is of Apple, which has launched manufacturing in India and is expected to export 20 million iPhone 14s. There are a lot of other companies also looking from that perspective, said experts. There’s also a key General Electric deal in the offing, which involves building GE engines that will power HAL’s Tejas-Mk II Light Combat Aircraft.

The signing of the MoU with General Electric will be one of the biggest deliverable of Prime Minister Modi’s State visit to the US, said news reports. With bilateral trade reaching a record-breaking $191 billion last year, the US-India Business Council (USIBC) will host the INDUS-X conference scheduled to be held over two days in Washington to coincide with Modi’s visit. INDUS-X is a platform for start-ups and enterprises from both countries to identify collaborations for high-tech innovations within the ambit of the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET).

Also read: PM Modi greets US President Biden with tight hug at G7 Summit in Japan

Why is this visit important for Modi?

‘Diaspora diplomacy’ has been one of Modi’s key political strategies since he was the Gujarat Chief Minister. This US visit is crucial for Modi’s global image, to show off India’s global grandstanding and to send the message back home that Modi as the leader has accomplished this. This is important for Modi before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

One of the highlights of Modi’s visit to the US?

Modi will address a joint session of the US Congress during his state visit to Washington DC on June 22, becoming the only Indian PM to address the joint sitting of the US Congress twice.

The Congressional leaders invited Modi “on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate”, to address a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday, June 22. It will be the second time that Modi will address a joint meeting of the US Congress, the first being in 2016. At that time, he was the fifth Indian PM to address the joint session of US Congress, the others being Manmohan Singh (2005), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (2000), PV Narasimha Rao (1994) and Rajiv Gandhi (1985).

Other key activities on Modi’s US visit agenda?

On the agenda are agreements on trade, defence and critical minerals and significant progression of the Indo-US defence partnership, with the signing of a joint production agreement.

Ahead of Modi’s state visit, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in India on a two-day visit to explore ways to lay the groundwork for highly anticipated agreements on bilateral defence cooperation, especially in areas of transfer of critical technologies for co-development of military hardware.

What are the events organised by the Indian diaspora?

Multiple events have been planned to extend a grand welcome to Modi.

An ‘India Unity Day’ march is being planned from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC to welcome Modi, two days before Modi’s arrival in America.

Other such marches are being planned in 20 other places, including New York’s Times Square and San Francisco’s Golden Bridge. A group of Indian Americans will be at the Andrews Air Force Base to welcome Modi as he lands on June 21 afternoon in New York. While hundreds of the community members will gather at Lafayette Square Park in front of the White House.

The Indian diaspora has planned “a cultural event spanning Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and West to East in front of the White House”, to showcase the growth of India during Modi’s term in the past nine years.

News reports said that Modi may well lead the International Yoga Day celebrations on June 21 in New York.

Who’s organising these events?

The Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP) USA, along with other right-wing organisations such as the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, which has approximately 205 local chapters, including in college campuses will organise these events.

This same groups had organised Modi’s meeting at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2014 and the “Howdy Modi” jamboree in Texas featuring Modi and Donald Trump in 2019. Many people flocked to these events and chanted Modi’s name giving him a rockstar reception. It is said that  crowd of over 50,000 people was present when Modi and Trump jointly addressed the ‘Howdy Modi!’ gathering in Houston, Texas.

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PM Modi's visit to US to set new benchmarks for bilateral ties: Pentagon

Prime Minister Modi will embark on his first state visit to the US at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden this month. During his four-day visit starting on June 21, the US president and the First Lady will host Modi for a state dinner on June 22.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US this month will set new benchmarks for bilateral ties and some "really big, historic and exciting" announcements are likely to be made on defence cooperation and boosting India's indigenous military industrial base, the Pentagon has said.

"When Prime Minister Modi comes here to Washington for a State Visit later in the month, I think it will be a historic visit setting new benchmarks for the relationship," Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said during a panel discussion at the Center for New American Security on Thursday.

"I think it (the visit) will be looked back upon similar to how the Japan two plus two earlier this year was a pivotal moment in the relationship. People will be looking back on this visit by Prime Minister Modi as a real springboard for the US-India relationship," he said.

Mr Ratner said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited India recently to advance a number of bilateral issues and prepare the ground for the prime minister's visit to Washington by finalising particular agreements and initiatives that the two countries are working on.

"Among the priorities are clear strategic alignment around the question of co-development and co-production between the United States and India on the defence side. This is a priority for Prime Minister Modi to strengthen India's indigenous defence industrial base, as well as advancing the military modernisation," he said.

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US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his Indian Indian counterpart Ajit Doval in January launched the initiative for critical and emerging technology (iCET) to try to bolster technology cooperation between the US and India.

"I know there have been efforts at this in the past. Sometimes there's skepticism around, is it going to be real this time? And my answer is, I think, all signs are pointing toward yes, it's going to be real and we're going to have some really big, historic, exciting announcements out of the prime minister's visit in terms of particular projects around defence industrial cooperation," Mr Ratner said.

"We are also enhancing our operational coordination in a number of different places. A lot of focus on the Indian Ocean, a lot of focus on the undersea domain, as well as new domains, space and cyber and new efforts around information sharing," he said.

"If you look at the development of the US-India relationship, it's really unbelievable how far the relationship has moved over the last couple of decades. That's true now more than ever," he said.

Ely Ratner said the two countries are seeing increasing strategic alignment.

"From our perspective, from India's perspective, we do share a vision again for a free and open Indo-Pacific. A strong US-India partnership is a critical ingredient to realising that vision. That's what both sides have understood that from India's perspective and from the US perspective, that a closer partnership is going to be essential to the manifestation of that vision," he said.

The US, India and several other world powers have been talking about the need to ensure a free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific in the backdrop of China's rising military manoeuvring in the region.

China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it. Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.

"One of the major thrusts of the bilateral defence relationship and one of the things we were talking about, while we were in Delhi, is this ongoing US effort to support India's military modernisation," Mr Ratner said.

"The integration of our defence industrial base is more co-production, co-development, and I think that is based upon the belief that a stronger India that can defend its own interest and its sovereignty is good for the United States," he said.

ALSO READ | Visiting India, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tells Indians: You can try to build AI like ChatGPT, but you will fail

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Modi in US: A look back at PM's previous visits to United States

The prime minister will undertake his first designated state visit to the us from june 20-24..

On Tuesday morning, prime minister Narendra Modi left for the United States on his maiden ‘ state visit ’ to the country after being invited by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. This is only the third state visit by an Indian leader to the US, the first two coming in June 1963 (President S Radhakrishnan) and November 2009 (PM Manmohan Singh).

Modi, however, has undertaken several visits to US as India's PM. Here is a look back at his previous visits to the United States (as listed on the US State Department's website ):

He went there in September 2021 as well; that trip, however, is not listed on the State Department's website.

Indian PMs in United States

As many as 9 Indian prime ministers, including Modi and his predecessor Singh, have undertaken official visits to the United States. While Singh went there 8 times, Jawaharlal Nehru, the country's first PM, made as many as 4 visits, the same number as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who preceded Singh in the office.

Others are Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi (3 each), PV Narasimha Rao (2), and Morarji Desai and IK Gujral (1 each).

Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail

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PM Modi's first state visit to US: What to expect

Prime Minister Narendra Modi left on Tuesday for his maiden three-day state visit to the United States (US) . Before taking off, Modi announced on his website that the formal invitation by President Joe Biden reflected "the vigor and vitality of the partnership between our democracies." Here's what to expect from Modi's US visit.

Watch: Modi leaves for US visit

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from Delhi for his first official State visit to the United States. He will attend Yoga Day celebrations at the UN HQ in New York and hold talks with US President Joe Biden & address to the Joint Session of the US Congress in… pic.twitter.com/y6avSoPpkd — ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023

Modi to address US Congress on June 22

Modi is scheduled to commence his visit from New York. On Wednesday, he will participate in International Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations (UN) headquarters. He will then travel to Washington DC where he will meet Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for a state dinner along with several dignitaries. On Thursday, he will address a joint session of the US Congress .

Modi to hold talks with Biden

During his meeting with Biden, Modi is expected to discuss the visa wait-time issue, which has left Indians facing a waiting period of up to 600 days. Further, he would likely reach a jet engine manufacturing deal. This coincides with earlier reports, which claimed that US-based General Electric may produce the GE-F414 jet engine in India in a multi-million-dollar deal with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).

PM to meet Elon Musk

In New York, the prime minister is expected to meet with around 24 people, including Nobel laureates, economists, artists, academicians, scientists, entrepreneurs, and more. According to ANI , the names include Tesla co-founder Elon Musk , astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Grammy award-winning Indian-American singer Falguni Shah, economist Paul Romer, essayist Nicholas Nassim Taleb, investor Ray Dalio, and author Jeff Smith, among others.

Indian diaspora prepares for Modi's visit

Modi will also interact with the Indian diaspora in the US. Ahead of his visit, Indians in New Jersey have started handcrafting a 20-foot-long floral garland with tricolor as its theme. Moreover, women of the Indian diaspora in Richmond were seen dancing and rehearsing to prepare for their performance during Modi's visit. Children, too, were seen making Indian flags to welcome Modi.

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PM Narendra Modi's US visit 2023: FULL schedule, dates, agenda, meetings, 21-gun salute, intimate dinner with Bidens and other details

Pm narendra modi us visit 2023: pm narendra modi's historic visit to the us will kickstart on june 20, 2023. his first state visit since 2014 when he became the prime minister, pm modi will be hosted by us president joe biden and first lady jill biden at the white house for a state dinner. he will also be holding meetings with business personalities in new york and attending bilateral meetings crucial for indo-us relations..

Updated Jun 19, 2023 | 08:02 PM IST

President Joe Biden and FLOTUS Jill Biden to host PM Narendra Modi at the White House | PM Narendra Modi Us visit (File Photo: Tweeted by MEA)

Key events to watch out for during PM Narendra Modi's US visit | PM Modi US visit schedule

PM Narendra Modi to visit the United States this week 🇺🇸 What's on the agenda? Take a look👇 @narendramodi @POTUS #NarendraModi pic.twitter.com/tGI44ktBIu — ET NOW (@ETNOWlive) June 19, 2023

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Modi's spies 'plotted to assassinate dissident on US soil'

Posted: April 30, 2024 | Last updated: April 30, 2024

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From Taiwan to TikTok: Who blinks first in US-China showdown?

Issued on: 24/04/2024 - 20:16

Play - 42:35

Is it a spiraling superpower showdown or a glorified trade negotiation? The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is kicking off a three-day visit in China’s economic capital, Shanghai. Unlike during the Cold War, when exchanges between the blocs were anecdotal, today it's the world's two biggest powers at the table – powers whose biggest trading partners happen to be each other. 

When Washington and Beijing face off over China  flooding world markets with subsidised solar panels and electric car batteries, it certainly sounds like bartering over big bucks. But there's also competing political models at stake.

Blinken's visit comes hours after the US Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to possibly force the sale of TikTok by China. The addictive video-sharing site's business model – like that of its competitors – relies on vacuuming up its users' personal habits, beliefs and tastes. Beyond the more conventional standoff over fresh military aid to semiconductor-producing Taiwan, how to define this battle over who controls the digital age? How far should the West go?

Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Rebecca Gnignati and Juliette Brown.

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Why Did Modi Call India’s Muslims ‘Infiltrators’? Because He Could.

The brazenness of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vilification of India’s largest minority group made clear he sees few checks at home or abroad on his power.

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Modi Calls Muslims ‘Infiltrators’ in Speech During India Elections

Prime minister narendra modi of india was criticized by the opposition for remarks he made during a speech to voters in rajasthan state..

I’m sorry, this is a very disgraceful speech made by the prime minister. But, you know, the fact is that people realize that when he says the Congress Party is going to take all your wealth and give it to the Muslims, that this is just a nakedly communal appeal which normally any civilized election commission would disallow and warn the candidate for speaking like this.

By Mujib Mashal

Reporting from New Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his power at home secured and his Hindu-first vision deeply entrenched, has set his sights in recent years on a role as a global statesman , riding India’s economic and diplomatic rise. In doing so, he has distanced himself from his party’s staple work of polarizing India’s diverse population along religious lines for its own electoral gain.

His silence provided tacit backing as vigilante groups continued to target non-Hindu minority groups and as members of his party routinely used hateful and racist language , even in Parliament, against the largest of those groups, India’s 200 million Muslims. With the pot kept boiling, Mr. Modi’s subtle dog whistles — with references to Muslim dress or burial places — could go a long way domestically while providing enough deniability to ensure that red carpets remained rolled out abroad for the man leading the world’s largest democracy.

Just what drove the prime minister to break with this calculated pattern in a fiery campaign speech on Sunday — when he referred to Muslims by name as “infiltrators” with “more children” who would get India’s wealth if his opponents took power — has been hotly debated. It could be a sign of anxiety that his standing with voters is not as firm as believed, analysts said. Or it could be just a reflexive expression of the kind of divisive religious ideology that has fueled his politics from the start.

But the brazenness made clear that Mr. Modi sees few checks on his enormous power. At home, watchdog institutions have been largely bent to the will of his Bharatiya Janata Party, or B.J.P. Abroad, partners increasingly turn a blind eye to what Mr. Modi is doing in India as they embrace the country as a democratic counterweight to China.

“Modi is one of the world’s most skilled and experienced politicians,” said Daniel Markey, a senior adviser in the South Asia program at the United States Institute of Peace. “He would not have made these comments unless he believed he could get away with it.”

Mr. Modi may have been trying to demonstrate this impunity, Mr. Markey said, “to intimidate the B.J.P.’s political opponents and to show them — and their supporters — just how little they can do in response.”

The prime minister sees himself as the builder of a new, modern India on the march toward development and international respect. But he also wants to leave a legacy that is distinctly different from that of the leaders who founded the country as a secular republic after British colonial rule.

Before joining its political offshoot, he spent more than a decade as a cultural foot soldier of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, or R.S.S., a right-wing organization founded in 1925 with the mission of making India a Hindu state. The group viewed it as treason when an independent India agreed to a partition that created Pakistan as a separate nation for Muslims, embraced secularism and gave all citizens equal rights. A onetime member went so far as to assassinate Mohandas K. Gandhi in outrage.

Over his decade in national power, Mr. Modi has been deeply effective in advancing some of the central items of the Hindu-right agenda. He abolished the semi-autonomy of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir. He enacted a citizenship law widely viewed as prejudiced against Muslims. And he helped see through the construction of a grand temple to the Hindu deity Ram on a plot long disputed between Hindus and Muslims.

The violent razing in 1992 of the mosque that had stood on that land — which Hindu groups said was built on the plot of a previous temple — was central to the national movement of Hindu assertiveness that ultimately swept Mr. Modi to power more than two decades later.

More profoundly, Mr. Modi has shown that the broader goals of a Hindu state can largely be achieved within the bounds of India’s constitution — by co-opting the institutions meant to protect equality.

Officials in his party have a ready rebuttal to any complaint along these lines. How could Mr. Modi discriminate against anyone, they say, if all Indian citizens benefit equally from his government’s robust welfare offerings — of toilets, of roofs over heads, of monthly rations?

That argument, analysts say, is telling in showing how Mr. Modi has redefined democratic power not as leadership within checks and balances, but as the broad generosity of a strongman, even as he has redefined citizenship in practice to make clear there is a second class.

Secularism — the idea that no religion will be favored over any other — has largely been co-opted to mean that no religion will be allowed to deny Hindus their dominance as the country’s majority, his critics say. Officials under Mr. Modi, who wear their religion on their sleeves and publicly mix prayer with politics, crack down on public expressions of other religions as breaching India’s secularism.

While right-wing officials promote conversion to Hinduism, which they describe as a “return home,” they have introduced laws within many of the states they govern that criminalize conversion from Hinduism. Egged on by such leaders, Hindu extremists have lynched Muslim men accused of transporting cows or beef and hounded them over charges of “love jihad” — or luring Hindu women. Vigilantes have frequently barged into churches and accosted priests they believe have engaged in proselytizing or conversion.

“What they have done is to create a permissive environment which encourages hate and valorizes hate,” said Harsh Mander, a former civil servant who is now a campaigner for social harmony.

In reference to Mr. Modi’s speech on Sunday, he added: “This open resort to this kind of hate speech will only encourage that hard-line Hindu right in society.”

Tom Vadakkan, a spokesman for the B.J.P., said the prime minister’s comments on Muslims had been misinterpreted. Mr. Modi, Mr. Vadakkan said, was referring to “intruders” or “illegal migrants” who the party claims are being used by the political opposition to “redefine the demography.”

Privately, Western diplomats in New Delhi do little to hide their discomfort with some of Mr. Modi actions as a democratic ally, from the targeting of minorities to his crackdowns on opposition and dissent. But they acknowledge that he is exploiting a particularly open season in the global order, with many of their own capitals providing a less positive example than they once did, and with so much focus on China and trade deals.

Mr. Markey, the Washington-based analyst, said the U.S. government was holding back from voicing concerns publicly for several reasons beyond its national interest in having India serve as an economic and geopolitical counterweight to China.

The United States, he said, realizes the growing limits of its public criticism in changing partner nations’ behavior. That was demonstrated most recently by the repeated instances in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel ignored President Biden’s demands that the Israeli military change its conduct within the war in Gaza.

Criticism of Mr. Modi, Mr. Markey added, could also backfire for U.S. politicians who “do not want to get crosswise with Indian diaspora groups.”

But Mr. Modi may not remain immune as he pursues closer partnerships with the United States in areas like joint weapons manufacturing, transfer of high technology and sharing of intelligence.

“My sense is that Washington’s increasing discomfort with Modi’s domestic politics is gradually lowering the ceiling of potential U.S. cooperation with India,” Mr. Markey said. “The question is just how far Washington is willing to trust India. Will India be treated as an ally in everything but name, or as a partner more like Vietnam or Saudi Arabia?”

Hari Kumar contributed reporting.

Mujib Mashal is the South Asia bureau chief for The Times, helping to lead coverage of India and the diverse region around it, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. More about Mujib Mashal

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Reporting by Julia Harte in New York, Kanishka Singh in Washington, Brendan O'Brien in Chicago, and Andrew Hay in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien

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