PM Modi US visit: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's much awaited visit to the United States, Indian Americans are holding 'India Unity Day' march in 20 major cites across the country.
The 'India Unity Day' march is being held in major US cites including New York, Washington and others in order to welcome the Prime Minister.
Diaspora disappointed after Modi's community event scale curtailed
PM Modi's first state visit to the US beginning this week will include an address to the Indian diaspora at a relatively modest gathering in Washington DC because of his tight schedule, dashing the hopes of community leaders who had hoped to organise a gala event.
"Narendra Modi is the most popular Indian prime minister for the global Indian diaspora. Now he is the most popular world leader," said Bharat Barai, chairman of the Indian American Community Foundation, which had initially planned a mega carnival-like event in Chicago to rival the welcome the prime minister received at Madison Square Garden in 2014 and in Houston in 2019.
At both these events, and more recently in Australia, Modi was greeted by a rapturous crowd of tens of thousands of Indian diaspora, displaying enthusiasm and pride unseen before.
Modi's visit will have significant outcome, says S Jaishankar
PM Modi's State Visit to the US will have "significant outcomes", External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.
Interacting with reporters on the sidelines of a function here, he also said that it will be the first time that an Indian prime minister will be addressing the US Congress twice.
Prime Minister Modi is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of 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.
"The prime minister is going on a State Visit, which signifies the highest level of honour. So, the honour that he will receive, has been accorded to a very few people, so far," Jaishankar said after the function that was held at Badarpur in South Delhi as part of the BJP's mega outreach campaign -- 'Sampark se Samarthan' -- to mark the completion of the nine years of the Modi government."
"The prime minister will address a Joint Session of the US Congress. No Indian prime minister has addressed it twice. So, it will be the first time. World over also, very few people have done that... Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela. So, there are very few people who have addressed the US Congress twice," Jaishankar said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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