Trump-Modi address tribute to US-Indians’ contribution: Diplomat

rchopra@tribunemail.com

Washington, September 18

US President Donald Trump’s decision to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ rally in Houston over the weekend is a truly historic tribute to the contributions of the Indian-Americans, a top US diplomat has said.

The White House has announced that Trump would join Modi at the Houston rally, which would be attended by more than 50,000 Indian-Americans, on September 22.

“Trump joining Modi for the Howdy Modi event in Houston is a truly historic tribute to the contributions of the Indian-American community to the prosperity of our country and the strength of US-India relations,” Alice G Wells, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, tweeted on Tuesday.

Senator Ted Cruz, and a former Republican presidential aspirant said he was looking forward to welcoming Modi to Houston to celebrate the culture and contributions of the Indian-American community and the vibrant US-Indian alliance, which is critical to America’s national security and energy future.

According to Ronak D Desai, Law and Security Fellow at New America and a scholar at Harvard University’s South Asia Institute, with the partnership confronting several significant irritants at present, Trump’s appearance with Modi is a welcome reminder of the importance of symbolism in US-India ties and the strong foundation underlying them.

“President Trump’s appearance with Prime Minister Modi in Houston confers tremendous political benefits to both leaders at home and abroad,” he said.

The news that President Trump would appear alongside Prime Minister Modi at Houston just weeks after the two leaders met at the G-7 is a powerful reminder that the overall foundation of the US-India strategic partnership remained strong, regardless of ongoing bilateral challenges, Desai observed. PTI