Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, the Indian-American diaspora in Washington on Sunday held a Unity march to extend a warm welcome to PM Modi. In a video posted by news agency ANI, the Indian Americans - who organised the march in 20 major cities across the US - can be heard chanting ‘Modi Modi’, ‘Vande Mataram’, and ‘Vande America’. The participants were also seen dancing to the tunes of the song ‘Har Har Modi’.
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A member of the community Ramesh Anam Reddy - who took part in the march, said, “We are all here, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC, Maryland and all the surrounding cities, we are all here to celebrate the 'Unity Day' and the PM Modi joining American president Biden. So, this is a great event for all of us and a great moment for all of us,” as quoted by ANI.
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He added, “We wanted to celebrate that and wanted to make sure that everyone knows how the India and America relationships are growing and how they are helpful. I think India is making all the difference. That's the reason we are here. So many people are coming here and they want to sympathize and they want to even the mainstream Americans, they want to join the unity march. That's what we are here for.”
{{/usCountry}}He added, “We wanted to celebrate that and wanted to make sure that everyone knows how the India and America relationships are growing and how they are helpful. I think India is making all the difference. That's the reason we are here. So many people are coming here and they want to sympathize and they want to even the mainstream Americans, they want to join the unity march. That's what we are here for.”
{{/usCountry}}Another member, Raj Bhansali, said he has participated in the march to “support PM Modi”. “It feels great to be able to engage with our Indian community. It is a very proud moment for all of us that PM Modi will be visiting the United States,” he added.
PM Modi's visit to the US
PM Modi is set to visit the US from June 21 to June 24 at the invitation of US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. He will also attend a state dinner on June 22 and address the Joint Session of the Congress. On June 23, Modi is set to address an invitation-only gathering of diaspora leaders from across the country at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC.
(With inputs from ANI)