Washington DC: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the United States this week, Indian Americans in Washington took out a unity march to warmly welcome the Indian PM. PM Modi is set to visit the US from June 20-24, his first state visit to the country, at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US President and the First Lady will also host PM Modi for a state dinner on June 22.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will address a joint sitting of the US Congress and meet several US politicians, prominent citizens and eminent personalities from the Indian diaspora. Indian Americans have organized marches in 20 major cities across the US including New York. The community was seen raising slogans of “Modi Modi”, “Vande Mataram” and “Vande America”.
#Watch , The Indian American diaspora organized a unity rally in Washington, welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his upcoming visit to the United States of America. pic.twitter.com/HU5AiVKsbM– ANI (@ANI) June 18, 2023
Indian-American expatriate, Ramesh Anam Reddy, who was one of the participants in the unity march, said, “We are all here, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC, Maryland and all the surrounding cities, we are all here to celebrate It’s ‘Ekta Diwas’ and PM Modi joining US President Biden. So, it’s a great event for all of us and a great moment for all of us.”
“We wanted to celebrate that and make sure everyone knows how the India-US relationship is growing and how helpful they are. I think India is making all the difference. That’s why we are here. So many people are coming here.” And they want empathy and they want mainstream Americans, they want to join the unity march. That’s what we’re here for.”
Talking about the footprints in the Ekta March, Reddy said that there are at least more than 20 cities that are participating in this Ekta March. About 702,000 people are expected to attend the march in Washington, DC alone. In the rally, participants were seen dancing to the tune of the song “Har Har Modi”.
Meanwhile, another Indian American, Raj Bhansali said, “I am here to support Prime Minister Modi. It feels great to be able to connect with our Indian community. It is a very proud moment for all of us.” That PM Modi will visit.” United States.”
Earlier on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had asserted that PM Modi’s state visit to the US would yield important results. Speaking to reporters, he highlighted that the visit would mark the first time that an Indian Prime Minister would address the US Congress twice.
Emphasizing on the importance of PM Modi’s address to the US Congress, Minister Jaishankar said that very few people have got this privilege. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to America, he said, ‘The Prime Minister will be on a state visit to America. A state visit means that it is the highest level of respect. This honor has been given to only a few. This is happening for the first time that an Indian PM will address the US Congress for the second time. So its importance is huge.”