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Conviction, not convenience, driving ties: Modi to diaspora
PM Modi said that the diaspora took pride in all of Indian achievements.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up his four-day visit to the US on Friday (local time) by addressing, what he called, a “mini-India” at a community event, where he hailed the contribution of the Indian-American diaspora, thanked President Joe Biden for his work in elevating India-US relations, outlined the new chapter in ties that began with his visit, and owned the progress in the bilateral relationship.
“In this hall, you have, in a way, made a full map of India. You have come here from different parts of India. And it seems like a mini-India is here,” Modi said at the Reagan Centre in Washington DC on Friday evening eastern time. He said the love he got in the US was astonishing, crediting it to the diaspora’s work, behaviour, and contribution to America’s development.
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He said over the three days that he spent with Biden, they discussed a range of issues. “He is a clear, experienced leader. He has personally made a lot of effort to elevate the India-US partnership. And I want to publicly praise his effort.”
Modi said that during his visit a new journey had begun in the India-US strategic partnership. “This new journey is about convergence on global strategic issues. It is about cooperation in make in India, make for the world. Be it cooperation on technology transfer and manufacturing or coordination on industrial supply chains, both countries are taking strong steps for a better future,” he said.
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Modi specifically mentioned General Electric’s decision to produce jet engines in India (to loud applause and “Modi-Modi” chants) as a huge step for India’s defence sector. “With this agreement, America is not just sharing technology but mutual trust.” With the defence industrial cooperation, Modi said, ties will only deepen.
He also talked about the big investments in India that Google, Micron and Applied Materials announced over the course of his trip. “Micron’s investment of $2.5 billion in the semiconductor sector will connect India to the world semiconductor chain. Applied Materials’s investment of $400 million in the field of semiconductor equipment will help create a semiconductor ecosystem in India. And Google is opening its global fin-tech centre in India. Boeing has announced an investment of $100 million.” These, Modi said, will help generate employment, aid in high tech manufacturing, and encourage innovation.
Also, India’s participation in the Artemis Accords will inaugurate new areas of cooperation in space. “That’s why I said sky is not the limit.” These announcements will shape the future of millions of people in both countries. “We are shaping lives, dreams and destinies,” he added.
He said the diaspora’s deep connection with India was why addressing their needs was also an Indian priority. “And that is why India will open a new consulate in Seattle. We will also open new consulates in two more cities in America. I know you will begin writing letters now to open [consulates] in your cities,” Modi said, to applause and laughter. The US, too, is set to open new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
He said that the US and India had also decided that to renew H-1B visas, people would no longer have to leave the country and could do it at home, a declaration that was received with standing ovation from a crowd that has struggled with visa issues. “You can be in America and renew your visas. There will be a pilot project that will start this year. This will really help our IT professionals.” Based on how the pilot pans out, this initiative could be extended to L category visas too.
Modi said that the diaspora took pride in all of Indian achievements — from Indians leading global companies to countries coming together to celebrate Yoga at the United Nations to the world dancing to “Naatu Naatu” to the presence of ‘Make in India’ products in US supermarkets to Indian capabilities giving a direction to global development. “India is among those countries in the world where the economy is growing so fast that the world’s attention is on your India,” he told the audience.
“You must be wondering how is this happening? Who did this?” Modi asked, with the crowd responding with “Modi-Modi” chants. But the PM said it was not him, but the self-confidence of 1.4 billion Indians. “Thousands of years of slavery had taken away our confidence. But that self confidence has returned to today’s new India. This is an India that knows its direction, its path. It is an India which is not confused about its policies and decisions. It is an India that’s converting its potential to performance. It is an India where the health story is being written in smaller cities,” Modi said.
He said that both the scale of infrastructure investment and the digital revolution with its payment systems were unprecedented, adding that there were many such achievements across domains in India.
Modi once again said India was the “mother of democracy” and America was the “champion of modern democracy” and their partnership was growing. “The real potential of this partnership is still to come. This is where you have a big role,” he told the diaspora, urging them to invest in India, collaborate with micro, small and medium enterprises, encourage young entrepreneurs and help with their skills and expertise, as well as deepen cooperation with Indian educational institutions.
Outlining some other outcomes from his visit, Modi said Google’s AI research centre in India will work on 100 languages and help children whose mother tongue was not English; India would help set up a Tamil Study chair in the University of Houston (“take pride in the fact that Tamil is the world’s oldest language and it is our language”); and that US will return over 100 antiquities to India.
“This shows India-US ties aren’t just commercially strong but are also getting strong emotionally. Our partnership intends to make the 21st century better,” Modi said, adding that his participation at the event, as a finale before his departure for the airport, was just like “having a sweet dish after a meal”.
