Modi euphoria captures US ahead of State visit

Hundreds of Indian-Americans have gathered at iconic locations across the US to send a message of welcome to Prime Minister Narendra Modi days ahead of his State Visit here.

A few hundred Indian Americans from in and around the Washington DC area gathered near the National Monument on a bright Sunny Sunday to convey a message of unity and tell the prime minister that they are eagerly waiting for his arrival in the city.

Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They will host Modi at a state dinner on June 22. The visit also includes an address to the Joint Session of the Congress on June 22.

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He will address an invitation-only gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington on June 23.

Chanting slogans of “Modi Modi” and India-US friendship, Indian Americans walked in a procession for over an hour towards the historic Lincoln Memorial where the participants busted into an impromptu dance.

Similar scenes were visible at many iconic locations in the United States like Times Square in New York and Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The visuals coming out from the 20 cities and the frantic search for tickets for various Modi events in Washington DC and New York is reflective of his high popularity in the country, which many said is a phenomenon or a euphoria that has refused to die down even nine years after he came to power, the organisers of various events said.

“It’s Modi phenomenon,” M R Rangaswami, entrepreneur, philanthropist and founder of Indiaspora told PTI in an interview.

Several thousand Indian Americans are expected to attend the Welcome Ceremony on the South Lawns of the White House on Thursday when President Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden welcome him.

While a large number of Indian Americans are still looking for a ticket to the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enter the White House complex, there is a frantic search for a ticket to the address by Modi to the Joint Meeting of the US Congress.

Senators and Congressmen are having a tough time deciding whom to give their one ticket to watch the speech of the prime minister from the visitor’s gallery.

The guest list of the State Dinner to be held on the White House lawns is a closely guarded secret. The office of the First Lady has not released any information related to the State Dinner. However, speculation is rife that some 400 people would be attending the luncheon being hosted in honour of the prime minister.

It is expected that the five Indian American Congressman – Ami Bera, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna and Shri Thanedar – have been invited to the State Dinner, along with some of the top Indian American CEOs including Satya Nadella from Microsoft, Sunder Pichai from Google, Raj Subramanian from FedEx.

Several eminent Indian American serving in the Biden Administration like Neera Tanden, Dr Vivek Murthy, and Dr Rahul Gupta are also expected to be attending the State Dinner.

The US Corporate Sector has its own interest in India.

A stable, strong government and good governance under Modi along with a series of business-friendly reforms that he has carried out in the last few years, which offers a viable alternative to China, is one of the prime reasons for him to be very popular among the American corporate leadership.