New York: Amid cheers of ‘Modi, Modi’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a stadium packed with members of Indian diaspora in New York on Sunday. PM Modi, who is on a 3-day visit to the US, highlighted that he is the first such Prime Minister of India who was born after Independence, adding that he could not give his life for the country, but he would certainly “live for the country”. PM Modi is also scheduled address the ‘Summit of the Future’ at the United Nations General Assembly.
In his address at the 'Modi and US' event, PM Modi said, "I am the first such Prime Minister of India who was born after Independence. Crores of Indians dedicated their life to the Independence movement. We couldn’t die for India, but, we can live for the country."
PM Modi praised the Indian diaspora residing in the US during his speech. He thanked US President Joe Biden for inviting him to his home in Delaware, adding that the Indian community has been the strongest brand ambassadors of the country and that “Namaste” has now become multinational. The Prime Minister said that when India speaks on global platforms the world listens closely to what it has to say.
PM Modi started his speech with 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and gave two new meanings to the term AI short for Artificial Intelligence. PM Modi said, “For me, AI means American Indians. This is the spirit that is taking the India-US relations to a new height.” He also referred to AI as “Aspirational India”.
10 Points
1. PM Modi arrived at the Nassau Coliseum in New York after attending the Quad summit hosted by US President Joe Biden in Delaware.
2. PM Modi yesterday had three separate bilateral meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and US President Joe Biden.
3. A series of cultural performances was staged before his arrival at the Coliseum on Long Island. Performers like Hanumankind, Aditya Gadhvi and Devi Sriprasad performed ahead of PM Modi's much-awaited speech.
4. PM Modi began his speech with praising the Indian diaspora, whom he referred as 'rashtradoot'. "I have always understood the capabilities of the Indian diaspora. I understood it even when I held no official position. For me, you all have been strong brand ambassadors of India. This is why I call you 'Rashtradoot'…" he said.
5. India has decided to open two new Consulates in Boston and Los Angeles in the US, announced PM Modi during his speech. Last year, India opened a new consulate in Seattle.
6. On elections, PM Modi said, "Elections are about to be held here. The elections that were just held in India were the biggest elections held so far in human history. We had almost double the number of voters than the total population of America. When we see this scale of Indian democracy we feel even more proud."
7. PM Modi said that India is putting in all possible efforts to host the 2036 edition of the Olympic Games. In the recently-held Paris Olympics, India ended its campaign with six medals, including five bronze and a silver.
8. India has no role in causing destruction to the world, said PM Modi during his speech in an apparent criticism of the West. India has 17 per cent of the world's population and its carbon emissions are less than four per cent, he highlighted.
9. PM Modi will address world leaders at the landmark Summit of the Future event at the UN headquarters the next day. This year, the theme of the Summit is ‘Multilateral Solutions for a Better Tomorrow’.
10. PM Modi’s visit comes less than two months before the US heads into presidential elections with Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the top job.