mobanmarketHouston, Texas: “We are challenging ourselves. We are changing ourselves. We are working tirelessly to achieve a new India.”
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With these words, Indian PM Narendra Modi received a rockstar welcome with up to 50,000 Indian Americans in attendance, with the “Howdy, Modi” event here on Sunday.
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Thousands were seen queueing up outside the venue from early morning. By 9 am, the NRG Football Stadium — one of the largest in the US, was packed.
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The good vibes between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was on full display at the event.
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Both Modi and Trump shared stage — a gesture the White House has described as a way to emphasise the “strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies”.
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PM Modi showered lavish praises on Trump while introducing him at the event, and even used the slogan “Abki Baar Trump Sarkar” (“This time, Trump will win”, a play on the BJP slogan “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar”).
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PM Modi also said that the Trump administration had already made the American economy strong again.
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Deafening drums marked the entrance of the two leaders as they clasped hands and walked across the stage in a packed Texas stadium.
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Despite trade tensions, the good vibes at the event sent a message of unity.
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Trump highlighted the growth of US exports to India, the billions of dollars India is spending on US-made defense equipment and joint military exercises with New Delhi.
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This is PM Modi’s first visit to the US since his re-election in May this year — and his third meeting with President Trump in three months.
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Two US lawmakers — US Senator John Cornyn and House Majority leader Steny Hoyer — and President Trump also addressed the crowds.
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Texas is India’s second largest trading partner in the US.
######Modi takes the stage
Image Credit: Social media###
Trump said Modi invited him to the rally when they met last month in France. Trump told reporters Sunday that “I love India,” explaining his decision to attend.
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Sunday marked their third meeting in as many months and their first time together on stage.
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The leaders, who seem to have developed a rapport, are to meet again Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
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Modi, 68, won the biggest re-election India has seen in years after some 600 million Indians cast ballots across the country earlier this year.
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At the UN, Trump also scheduled a meeting with Pakistani leader Imran Khan, who told the president recently that he would welcome his help mediating the Pakistan-India conflict over Kashmir.
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Expanding bonds
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Trump said US-India bonds are expanding, but tensions over India’s trade surplus with the US are simmering.
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In June, the US canceled India’s special trade privileges that had allowed India to export certain goods with lower tariffs. India responded by slapping tariffs on more than two dozen US goods.
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The US and India are discussing ways to negotiate at least a partial trade deal.
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A partial deal could include Washington reinstating India’s special tariff status if New Delhi gives the US concessions related to access to Indian markets, possibly in dairy and medical devices.
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