PM Modi’s U.S. visit Day 3 updates | Biden, Modi address guests, raise ‘no alcohol’ toast at White House state dinner

There was saffron on the menu at the White House on Thursday, June 23, 2023, as U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and some 400 guests for a carefully planned State Dinner to commemorate the prime ministerial visit.

Top American lawmakers have applauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his address to the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress that called for deepening the strong friendship between the two democracies, fostered by a range of close economic ties and expanded cooperation on areas like defence, trade and technology.

“Prime Minister Modi’s address to Congress today emphasised the strong friendship that has been built between our two countries, fostered by a range of close economic ties and shared opportunities,” Senator Mark Warner, Chairperson of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate India Caucus said.

“I’m pleased to see President Biden and Prime Minister Modi utilise this visit to continue to deepen the bonds between our countries and expand our cooperation on defence, trade, technology, and innovation,” he said.

Oscar-winning song ‘Naatu Naatu’ from Ram Charan and Jr NTR-starrer ‘RRR’ has been a global phenomenon. The craze for the hit track is not over as yet. On Thursday (local time), ‘Naatu Naatu’ was highlighted by PM Narendra Modi in a special address during the State dinner at the White House.

“With every passing day, Indians and Americans are getting to know each other better. We can pronounce each other’s name correctly, we can understand each other’s accent better... Children in India become Spider-Man on Halloween and America’s youth is dancing to the tunes of ‘Naatu Naatu’,” PM Modi said.

Big names in the tech world and billionaire industrialists such as Mukesh Ambani, Google CEO Sunder Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook were among those invited to the State Dinner hosted in the honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday.

In a veiled attack on China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the “dark clouds of coercion and confrontation” are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific region.

In his address to the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress for a second time, Modi said the global order is based on the respect for the principles of the UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership,” he said amidst the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh.

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed his delight in hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the official State dinner at the White House and emphasized that the occasion celebrates great bonds of friendship between India and the United States.

In a special address during the State Dinner at the White House, Mr. Biden said, “Jill and I have had a wonderful time with the Prime Minster today, during your truly productive visit. Tonight we celebrate the great bonds of friendship between India and the United States.”

Acknowledging the progress made by Indian Americans in the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (local time) said that they have played a significant role in further strengthening the inclusive society and economy of the U.S..

During his speech at the State Dinner held at the White House, PM Modi said, “Indian Americans have come a long way in the U.S. and have always found a respectful place in America’s Melting Pot. Indian Americans have played a significant role in further strengthening the inclusive society and economy of the U.S.”

“I want to thank U.S. President Joe Biden for this wonderful dinner today. I would also like to thank First Lady Jill Biden for taking care of my visit to make it successful. Yesterday evening you opened the doors of your house for me,” PM Modi said.

To increase defence cooperation and deepen critical information sharing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden have agreed to place three Indian liaison officers in U.S. commands.

The U.S. and India advanced steps to operationalise tools that will allow the two nations to increase their defence cooperation, the White House said on Thursday following summit talks between Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi.

The two countries have “resolved to strengthen undersea domain awareness cooperation. The agreement to place three Indian liaison officers in US commands for the first time – deepening our partnership and critical information sharing”, it said.

A legislation to fast-track weapons sales to India has been in.troduced in the U.S. Congress, with a group of lawmakers saying strengthening the strategic partnership of the nations will safeguard their shared security interests. This comes amid PM Modi’s state visit to the U.S. at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.

The legislation introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday, seeks to place India on equal footing with other partners and allies of the US by streamlining and accelerating the review and sales process for foreign military sales and exports under the Arms Export Control Act.

Big names in the tech world, film and fashion industry as well as billionaire industrialists were among those invited to the state dinner hosted in the honour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House on Thursday.

Indian billionaires Mukesh Ambani and Anand Mahindra, Apple CEO Tim Cook and corporate leader Indira Nooyi were among the guests. CEOs of Google, Microsoft and Adobe -- Sunder Pichai, Satya Nadella and Shantanu Narayen - also attended the event.

Image courtesy: Sriram Lakshman

Image courtesy: Sriram Lakshman

Titans of business, fashion, entertainment and more made the guest list for Thursday’s big White House dinner in honor India’s Narendra Modi, with the likes of designer Ralph Lauren, filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan and tennis legend Billie Jean King rubbing shoulders with tech leaders from Apple, Google and Microsoft.

Other notables on the guest list included social media influencer Jay Shetty, big Democratic donors like Florida lawyer John Morgan and civil rights activist Martin Luther King III. The CEO contingent included Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. - AP

In a veiled attack on China, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the “dark clouds of coercion and confrontation” are casting their shadow on the Indo-Pacific region.

“The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific. The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership,” he said amidst the prolonged stand-off between the armies of India and China in eastern Ladakh.

During his address to the Joint Meeting of the U.S. Congress, PM Modi on Thursday said there can be “no ifs or buts” in dealing with terrorism and sought action against state sponsors of terrorism, in a veiled attack on Pakistan.

I have said directly and publicly, this is not an era of war, but one of dialogue and diplomacy, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to U.S. Congress.

We were strangers in defence cooperation at turn of the century. Now, U.S. has become one of our most important defence partners. I agree with President Biden that this is defining partnership of this century. Because it serves a larger purpose, said PM Modi.

Indian culture deeply respects environment and planet. Our vision is pro-planet progress. Our vision is pro-planet prosperity. Our vision is to create pro-planet people, said PM Modi in his address to U.S. Congress.

India’s vision is not just of development which benefits women. It is of women-led development, where women lead journey of progress, said PM Modi.

We are home to all faiths in world, and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the joint session of U.S. Congress on Thursday.

In India, diversity is a way of life. Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. Democracy is spirit that supports equality and dignity. Democracy is idea that welcomes debate and discourse. Democracy is culture that gives wings to thought and expression, said PM Modi at US Congress.

Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century. I am delighted to see you come together today, to celebrate bond between world’s two great democracies - India and U.S., said PM Modi in address to U.S. Congress.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday condemned the situation in Myanmar and the recent missile launches by North Korea in a joint statement released by the White House after their meeting. - Reuters

India is the only G20 country that has fulfilled all the promises it made in Paris on climate change, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday, asserting that India will not only fulfil its responsibilities but will also help others including the U.S. in this critical area.

“As far as India is concerned, the environment, and climate, are extremely important in our cultural traditions for us. The environment is an article of faith. This is not just something that we need to do for convenience. We believe this. We do not believe in the exploitation of nature.,” he said in response to a question by PTI at a joint news conference with President Joe Biden in the East Room of the White House.

India has also decided to join the Artemis Accords, which brings like-minded countries together on civil space exploration, and NASA and ISRO have agreed to a joint mission to the International Space Station in 2024.

Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century. It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond.

Joint production of fighter jet engines in India

• In a landmark pact, GE Aerospace inked a MoU with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to jointly produce fighter jet engines for Indian Air Force’s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk-II - Tejas.

• The agreement includes the potential joint production of GE Aerospace’s F414 engines in India, and GE Aerospace continues to work with the US government to receive the necessary export authorisation for this.

• The agreement will advance GE Aerospace’s earlier commitment to build 99 engines for the IAF as part of the LCA-Mk-II programme.

“For the partnership between India and the US, even the sky is not the limit. The most important pillar of our relations is our people-to-people ties. More than 40 lakh people of Indian origin are contributing to the development of America,” said PM Modi during a joint press conference with President Biden.

The Prime Minister said that the two biggest democracies of the world, India and the U.S., can contribute towards global peace, stability and prosperity. “I’m sure that on the basis of these values, we can fulfil the aspirations of the world,” he added.

We are working to make India green energy hub, said Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi responding to question from PTI at joint press conference with President Biden.

Prime Minister and I had good discussion about democratic values. We believe in dignity of every citizen, it’s in America’s DNA and I believe in India’s DNA that a whole world has stake in our success, said President Biden.

The best nature of our relationship is that we are straightforward with each other and we respect each other, he added.

India and America are walking shoulder to shoulder in fight against terrorism and radicalism. We agreed that concerted action is necessary to end cross border terrorism, said PM Modi after talks with President Biden.

“India is indeed a democracy. As President Biden said, the democracy is in DNA of India and US,” said PM Modi in joint presser when asked about India’s human rights record.

Democracy can deliver and when we talk about democracy, there is no discrimination on basis of caste, creed, religion etc, said PM Modi.

We have agreed to join Artemis Accords. We have taken a new leap in our space cooperation. We both agree governments, businesses & academic institutions should come together to fulfil our strategic technology partnership, said PM Modi says at joint press conference.

The partnership between the United States and India is among most consequential in world that is stronger, closer and more dynamic in any time in history, said President Biden.

Together, both the nations are unlocking shared future of world what I believed to be unlimited potential, said President Biden during joint news briefing.

Each time I was struck by our ability to find new areas of cooperation between the United States and India, said President Biden during joint press conference with PM Modi.

Praising the Indian community in the U.S., President Joe Biden on Thursday mentioned the contributions of Americans of Indian heritage in his administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris, whose success stories define the relationship and the limitless possibilities between the two nations.

He said a special bond between the two nations forged by the special bond among its people based on values like the duty to family and elders, treating all people with respect and dignity, self-discipline, hard work, faith and service to the community, courage, resilience and tolerance and opportunity for all which are universal.

“I see it in the Indian-American diaspora that reflects every part of American life and remains a bridge between our nations and only grows stronger with each generation,” he said. - PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday to discuss a wide range of issues of mutual and global interests, aimed at further boosting the Indo-US strategic relations in areas like defence, space, clean energy and critical technologies.

Modi met Biden one-on-one in the Oval Office of the White House before holding delegation-level talks.

- PTI

Prime Minister Modi thanks President Biden for according warm welcome and for his far-sighted speech.

“This welcome is an honour for 1.4 billion Indians and the 4 million Indian Americans in the U.S,” said Prime Minister Modi in his opening speech.

“I have visited the White House many times before, but this is the first visit in which the doors of the White House have been opened for the Indian-American community. The people of the Indian community are enhancing India’s glory in the U.S., you are the real strength of this relationship,” he said.

“Both nations take pride in our diversity, both of us believe in fundamental principle of interests of all and welfare of all.”

“President Biden and I will hold bilateral talks in a short while now and discuss regional and global issues. I am sure that our talks will be positive.”

“I wish that the Indian tricolour and the American stars and stripes will fly higher and higher. Jai Hind and God bless America,” said Modi, concluding his speech.

Welcoming PM Modi, Joe Biden said the the relationship between the U.S. and India is “one of most defining in the 21st century”.

“Two proud nations bound by the first three words of our Constitution: ‘We The People’,” he said.

“We’re seeing a record number of Indian-Americans serving in U.S. Congress and the White House, including Vice President Kamala Harris,” said Mr. Biden to applause from those gathered.

“Two great nations, two great friends, two great powers that can define the course of the 21st century, Mr. Prime Minister, I thank you for your partnership,” he said.

After years of pandemic-induced visa slowdowns, the U.S. will announce a pilot programme to renew visas domestically (i.e., applicants do not have to travel outside to get their renewal stamp), for certain petition-based temporary workers. This program could expand to cover H1b and L skilled visas by 2024 and to other categories eventually. It will also open two new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. India will reopen its consulate in Seattle, and announce new consulates elsewhere.

Read more here.

Large crowds of the Indian diaspora on Thursday gathered at the South Lawns of the White House under an overcast sky as ceremonial music played ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival here for his official welcome.

Officials said anywhere between 2,000-3,000 persons are expected to witness the ceremonial welcome being given to Modi, who is on his first state visit to the US.

A drizzle was no dampener to the enthusiasm of the members of the diaspora, many of whom travelled overnight from different parts of the US, as they waved the flag of the two countries and raised slogans.

“What a great sight it is. It is like a festival,” Hitesh Shah, who came from Boston, said.

- PTI

Marinated millet, corn kernel salad and stuffed mushrooms are on the menu for 400 guests invited to the State dinner being hosted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House’s South Lawn tonight.

First Lady Jill Biden on June 21 said she has asked Chef Nina Curtis — who specialises in plant-based cuisine — to work with the White House staff and create a stunning vegetarian menu for Prime Minister Modi, who is a strict vegetarian.

Read more here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in the U.S. for a three-day State visit, has gifted an eco-friendly lab-grown 7.5-carat diamond, placed in Kashmir’s exquisite Papier mâché box, to the U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.

The diamond is eco-friendly as resources like solar and wind power were used in its making. The green diamond is sculpted with precision and care using cutting-edge technology. It emits only 0.028 grams of carbon per carat and is certified by the Gemological Lab, IGI (International Gemological Institute).

Read more here.