Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a not-so-subtle dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders in India when he lauded the members of the United States Congress for cutting across party lines and coming together to listen to his address in Capitol Hill and celebrate the ties between the two countries.
The US Senators and Representatives, who came to listen to the prime minister, included several with ancestral roots in India. They lauded his 60-minute-long speech with repeated applause, including as many as 12 standing ovations. Some of them later took selfies with PM Modi and collected his autographs on copies of his speech.
“I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. But I am delighted to see you come together today, to celebrate the bond between the world’s two great democracies – India and the United States,” Modi said and then jokingly added that he could help whenever the US Congress needed a strong bipartisan consensus.
“There will be – and there must be – a contest of ideas at home. But, we must also come together as one when we speak for our nation. And, you have shown that you can do it. Congratulations!” he said, apparently sending out a message to opposition leaders in India.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has often countered the criticism by the Congress and other opposition parties against the Union government – particularly on dealing with the aggression of China against India or cross-border terrorism from Pakistan – by turning the table on them and slamming them for failing to rally behind the prime minister over national security issues.
The BJP has also particularly targeted Rahul Gandhi for criticising Modi and his government during his recent visits to the United Kingdom and the US. The ruling party alleged that the Congress leader acted against the national interests by criticising the prime minister during foreign visits.
A number of Indian Americans were in the gallery of visitors in the US House of Representatives chamber, where the prime minister addressed the US lawmakers.
“There are millions here, who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. There is one behind me, who has made history!” Modi said, referring to US Vice President Kamala Harris, who was born to an Indian-American mother and a Jamaican father.
Harris, who also serves as the president of the US Senate, and Kevin McCarthy, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, chaired the joint sitting of the Congress for the prime minister’s address.
“Today India and the US are working together, in space and in the seas, in science and in semiconductors, in start-ups and sustainability, in tech and in trade, in farming and finance, in art and artificial intelligence, in energy and education, in healthcare and humanitarian efforts,” said Modi.
“In all these, Indian Americans have played a big role. They are brilliant in every field, not just in Spelling Bee. With their hearts and minds, talent and skills, and their love for America and India, they have connected us; they have unlocked doors; they have shown the potential of our partnership,” added the prime minister amid applause from the US lawmakers as well as from the Indian-American visitors in the gallery.