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New Delhi: Over a year after United States President Joe Biden rolled out the red carpet for Narendra Modi in June 2023, the Indian Prime Minister will be back in the United States later this month.
PM Modi will travel to the US for a three-day visit next weekend where he will attend the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leadership summit hosted by American President Joe Biden at his Delaware residence, officials said.
The visit is significant for three reasons – first, it comes amid Russia and Ukraine urging India to be a mediator in the war. Second, US is in election mode, moving fast towards its crucial November Presidential polls. Third, with Hindus being attacked in Bangladesh, voices across India and US are asking America to intervene.
MEDIATOR MYSTERY
As far as India's role in the Russia-Ukraine war is concerned, it has been treading the path intricately, firmly and with a sense of responsible diplomacy where it stands by 'India First' in every sense. NSA Ajit Doval met President Putin in St. Petersburg and conveyed the Prime Minister's willingness to aid the peace process.
Even though President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been vocal about PM Modi's 'hugplomacy' with Putin, United States has so far refrained from making any overt harsh comment on India's 'peace' stance.
KAMALA VS TRUMP
The second reason would matter to US, particularly the Democrats, more than anything else right now. A partly-Indian-origin Presidential candidate, who rustles up a dosa now and then, Kamala Harris would want to cater to Indian-origin voters – who have been a traditional vote base for the Democrats.
But more importantly, how Indian-Americans spend their money in these polls is what is crucial to US politicians. Back in 2020, at least a dozen NRIs raised over $100,000 each for Joe Biden and his then-running mate Kamala Harris, according to a list published on Biden’s website.
The donors included the likes of Silicon Valley entreprenuer Ajay Bhutoria, Democrat Shefali Razdan Duggal, Pramila Jayapal and Netflix's Bela Bajaria.
After Mexicans, Indian-Americans are the largest immigrant group in US and they're only growing.
HINDU HOSTILITY
The third reason would be critical to the Modi administration. Muhammed Yunus, chief supervisor of Bangladesh's Interim Government, calls them "exaggerated" and "more political than communal", but attacks on Hindu minorities have neither reduced nor stopped. Mr. Modi will be keen to nudge the Biden goverment to intervene in the situation. In their last phone conversation after Mr. Modi's Ukraine visit, both leaders did have "shared concerns" about "the safety and security of the people in Bangladesh and the future of their democratic institutions." In fact, several Hindu groups in US have been protesting outside the White House, questioning the "deafening silence" by the Biden administration.
Apart from these predominant issues, defence cooperation, particularly the complete acquisition of 31 MQ4 Drones, which was announced during Mr. Modi's State Visit last year, is also likely to be stressed upon, before its deadline of October 31 is reached and price re-negotiation begins.
Lastly, the QUAD Summit on September 21, in Delaware – President Biden's hometown – would serve as a farewell to the outgoing American President and the Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, who will step down after this month.
Considering the stakes involved in changed geo-political players in the Indo-Pacific region and India's emergence as the Voice of Global South, PM Modi's US visit would be closely-watched by the world where India has been making strides