New York: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address a highly-anticipated community gathering in New York, United States on September 22, weeks before the US presidential elections. The mega event has created a major hype among Indian Americans as the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) has announced that the event registrations had oversold with over 24,000 people signing up for the gathering despite the event capacity of 15,000.
The ‘Modi & US’ Progress Together' event will be held on September 22 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has a capacity of 15,000. However, more than 24,000 Indian-Americans have registered to attend the community gathering to be addressed by PM Modi. Indian Americans from at least 42 states are expected to attend, and the response has been particularly strong from the tri-state area.
The IACU said the 'Modi & US' event “promises to be a significant gathering celebrating the interconnected diversity of the Indian-American community.” Earlier this month, sources told PTI that preparations are in full swing for the community event in Long Island, coming 10 years after Modi addressed a massive community gathering at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York in September 2014.
PM Modi's event to include diverse audience
Registrations for the event have come through 590 community organisations, all of whom signed up as "Welcome Partners", from across the United States, according to the IACU. The attendees and participating organisations include a wide range of religious communities, including members of the Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities.
They also represent a significant cross-section of India’s diverse languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and others. In addition to remarks by Prime Minister Modi, the event will showcase cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian Americans in business, science, entertainment, and the arts, the IACU said.
Meanwhile, general registrations are now open and 500 seats for the 'Modi & US' event will be allocated through the lottery system. "We’re committed to ensuring as many people as possible can participate in this historic event," said a key organiser of the event. "We’re going to do our best to expand seating arrangements and coordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritise final seat allocations to those who will confirm they expect to attend. "
PM Modi's UNGA address in September
Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address the high-level UN General Assembly session here on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN. This year, the high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly will take place from September 24-30. As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN on Monday, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the high-level session in the afternoon of September 26.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly. Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with the action days slated for September 20-21 and the Summit scheduled on September 22-23.
The list is not final and the UN releases updated provisional lists of speakers in the weeks leading up to the high-level session to reflect any modifications in attendance, schedules and speaking slots of leaders, ministers and ambassadors. The Indian Prime Minister visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the world body’s headquarters before heading to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by former President Joe Biden.
ALSO READ | Prime Minister to address mega 'The Modi & US Progress Together' event in New York weeks before US elections
