VIDYA SETHURAMAN
India Post News Service
HOUSTON: US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a stage and showered each other with praise September 22 at the “Howdy, Modi!” rally here that was attended by upward of 50,000 people, a rare mass showing for a foreign leader on American soil. The “Howdy, Modi!” event was billed as one of the largest ever receptions of a foreign leader in the US. Those attending included prominent members of Indian-American communities from California, Florida, NewYork, and Illinois.
“Howdy, Modi!” event at the NRG Stadium here was kicked off with a 90-minute cultural program featuring 400 costumed dancers. The program began with a tribute to the melding of cultures: a medley of Hindu and Christian hymns playing while photos of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were projected to the crowd.
Prime Minister Modi was accorded a rousing welcome when he arrived at the crowded stadium to address the Indian-American community along with US President Donald Trump. Modi entered on the stage with folded hands. He bowed before the audience, thanking them for such an amazing welcome.
Welcoming Modi, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner highlighted the significance of the event and said that Indians have played a key role in the development of his city. Turner told the crowd that Houston is the most diverse city in the county. Modi hailed the Indian-American community for its contributions in providing new heights and dynamics to the warm and friendly ties shared by India and the US.
Modi, while introducing Trump, said, “He has already made the American economy strong again.” He said in the two years that Trump has been in office, India-US relations have reached “new heights”. He introduced the Trump to his ‘family’ of the thousands and thousands of people of Indian origin who had gathered at Houston.
President Trump, calling the gathering a “profoundly historic event”, was greeted with a standing ovation by the Indian-American crowd and his speech was interrupted several times by roars of approval. The US leader hailed the India-US relationship and the Indian-American community as he reached out to an ethnic group that voted overwhelmingly against him in 2016. He praised the bi-lateral relationship saying, “India has never invested in the US like it is doing today, and I want to say it’s reciprocal because we’re doing the same thing in India.”
“His presence is an indication of his support and endorsement of the strengthening of India’s relations with America,” said Preeti Dawra, a spokeswoman for the Texas India Forum that organized the event. “This event is about strengthening those ties.”
In his speech, Modi said India has a “true friend” in the White House, describing Trump as “warm, friendly, accessible, energetic and full of wit”.
“From CEO to commander-in-chief, from boardrooms to the Oval Office, from studios to the global stage… he has left a lasting impact everywhere,” Modi said.
Trump’s biggest applause line of the night was a condemnation of “radical Islamic terror”. Trump also added that India and the US both care deeply about “border security”. Nearly a dozen American elected officials joined Trump and Modi for the event.
Without naming Pakistan, Modi said that the move to scrap provisions under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution bothered only those who “cannot even take care of their own country”.
“Some people have a problem with the abrogation of Article 370, these are the same people who cannot govern their own country,” Modi said.
He highlighted his government’s achievements – including the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax, low inflation, low fiscal deficit, easing of FDI in single brand retail, an average growth rate of 7.5 per cent in recent years, and availability of cheap data, which he described as the “new gold” – and plans to make India a $5-trillion economy in five years, and said there would be lots of opportunities for Americans in India.
During his nearly 50-minute speech, Modi also hinted at the possibility of a trade deal with the US, saying he was looking forward to “positive results” in his upcoming talks with Trump on the margins of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
After the speeches, Modi asked Trump to walk hand-in-hand around the perimeter of the stadium floor, looking up to the stands of cheering fans.
Earlier, on September 21, Modi met the delegations of Kashmiri Pandits, Sikhs and Dawoodi Bohras at a private event.
“In Houston, a delegation of the Kashmiri Pandit community met the Prime Minister. They unequivocally supported the steps being taken for the progress of India and empowerment of every Indian,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) tweeted.
Modi September 22 inaugurated the Eternal Gandhi Museum in Houston at a VIP luncheon.
“You all have set the stage for a glorious future as far as India-US ties are concerned. I thank you all for your team-work,” the Prime Minister told the crowd gathered at the community reception in Houston.
“The Eternal Gandhi museum will be a prized cultural landmark in Houston. I have been associated with this effort for a while. It will surely make Gandhiji’s thoughts popular among the youth,” the PMO quoted him as saying.
He also inaugurated the Gujarati Samaj Houston Event Center along with Shri Siddhi Vinayak Temple here. In his concluding remarks, the Prime Minister further urged the Indian diaspora to send at least five non-Indian families to India as tourists every year.
