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US Congress invitation puts Modi in elite club
The address is expected on the afternoon of June 22 Eastern Time, after President Joe Biden receives Modi at the White House
Washington In an honour that has been bestowed only on Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, and two Israeli prime ministers, the US Congressional leadership has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a joint meeting of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the second time on June 22 during his state visit to Washington DC.
On Friday, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell and House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote to the PM, stating that on behalf of the bipartisan leadership that it was their honour to invite him to address the US Congress.
“Based on our shared values and commitment to global peace and prosperity, the partnership between our two countries continues to grow. During your address, you will have the opportunity to share your vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges our countries both face,” the leaders said to Modi.
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Suggesting that Modi’s “historic address” to the US Congress in 2016 had left a “lasting impact” and “greatly deepened the friendship” between the two countries, the Congressional leaders reminded Modi he had spoken about how the relationship was primed for a momentous future, the constraints of the past were behind them, and the foundations of the future were firmly in place. “We look forward to paving the way for greater collaboration between our countries in the future,” Schumer, McCarthy, McConnell and Jeffries wrote.
The address is expected on the afternoon of June 22 Eastern Time, after President Joe Biden receives Modi at the White House for a ceremonial welcome and bilateral talks, and before the State dinner. On May 26, HT reported, quoting the House India caucus co-chair Ro Khanna, that an invitation was certain.
The invitation, at a time when the entire US Congressional leadership has been busy with suspending the debt ceiling limit and averting a default, speaks of the importance that the legislative branch has placed on the relationship with India. It also speaks of India’s sustained engagement with the both parties on Capitol Hill. Schumer and Jeffries are Democrats, McCarthy and McConnell are Republicans.
While Schumer led the most high-powered Congressional delegation ever on a visit to India earlier this year, McCarthy has engaged with the Indian ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu thrice this year, twice in-person and once virtually. The Speaker and the ambassador also met on Friday.
The India caucus in both chambers is active. In March, two senators introduced a bipartisan resolution reaffirming that Arunachal Pradesh was an integral part of India and condemning China’s provocative actions in the region. Last year, as a part of a broader omnibus legislation, the House voted overwhelmingly in favour of exempting India from sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act for New Delhi’s acquisitions of S-400 systems from Russia.
The invitation to Modi for a second time places him in a unique club of leaders. Churchill delivered a historic address to the US Congress during the Second World War; Mandela’s struggles against apartheid and stature made him particularly special for America’s African-American population; and Yitzhak Rabin and Benjamin Netanyahu represented Israel, with which the US has a particularly special relationship.
