Tulsi Gabbard ‘strong votary’ of India-US friendship: PM Modi

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Congratulating Gabbard on her confirmation as the nation’s top intelligence official, Modi took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts on the meeting. “Met USA’s Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, in Washington, DC. Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-US friendship, of which she’s always been a strong votary,” he posted.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also confirmed the meeting, stating that discussions focused on enhancing intelligence-sharing mechanisms between the two nations, particularly in tackling global security challenges.

Modi arrived in Washington, DC, on Wednesday evening after his visit to France, where he co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Indian Prime Minister and former US President Donald Trump are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at the White House on Thursday (Friday IST).

During his conversation with Gabbard, Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to working closely with the US for the benefit of both nations and global security. Gabbard’s appointment, as a Hindu-American, is seen as a positive development for India-US intelligence ties, with expectations that she could play a key role in streamlining intelligence-sharing mechanisms between the two countries.

Gabbard, a former Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army, hails from Hawaii and gained prominence in India in 2013, when she took her Congressional oath on the Bhagavad Gita after being elected to the US House of Representatives. Unlike many Hindu-Americans with Indian ancestry, Gabbard’s mother, Carol Porter Gabbard, adopted the Hindu faith, and Tulsi followed in her footsteps.

Her political career has seen a significant transformation. Initially elected as a Democrat, she left the party in October 2022, calling it an “elitist cabal of warmongers driven by cowardly wokeness” and accusing it of stoking anti-white racism. She later aligned with the Republican Party and endorsed Donald Trump.

Gabbard has also been outspoken on security issues. In 2015, she openly criticised then-President Barack Obama, arguing that his administration failed to acknowledge the threat posed by Islamist radical groups. “Islamist radicals are at war with the US and the Obama administration has refused to recognise the enemy,” she had said at the time.

Her recent appointment as Director of National Intelligence marks a remarkable shift in her political fortunes and places her in a pivotal position to influence India-US defence and intelligence cooperation in the coming years.