Modi shares dream of vibrant future with India’s best friend
Allies make strong statement against sponsors of terror, vow stronger bilateral ties
HOUSTON: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for a “decisive battle” against terrorism and those supporting it even as he called on the US to make the most of opportunities offered by his government’s plans to make India a $5-trillion economy in five years.
Addressing the “Howdy, Modi!” community outreach event at the NRG Stadium here alongside US President Donald Trump, Modi launched a thinly veiled attack on Pakistan, saying the whole world knows which country harbours hatred for India and nurtures and supports terrorism against it.
He defended his government’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and reorganise the state, saying Article 370 of the Constitution had deprived the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh of progress and equal rights and allowed those supporting terror and separatism to take advantage of the situation.
Trump, who spoke before Modi, vowed to fight “radical Islamic terrorism”, drawing loud applause from the 50,000strong audience and a standing ovation from Modi and the Indian delegation sitting in front of the stage, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
Hard-selling the Indian economy, Modi highlighted his govsaying ernment’s achievements – including the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax, low inflation, low fiscal deficit, easing of FDI in single brand retail, an average growth rate of 7.5% in recent years, and availability of cheap data, which he described as the “new gold” – and plans to make Indian a $5-trillion economy in five years, and said there would be lots of opportunities for Americans in India.
Modi also hinted at the possibility of a trade deal with the US, he was looking forward to “positive results” in his upcoming talks with Trump on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Speaking about the changes in Kashmir and the need to tackle terrorism, Modi said India had “bid farewell” to Article 370 to bring about far-reaching changes. Without naming Pakistan, he added, “India’s decision on Article 370 has troubled some people who can’t even handle their own country. These are the people spreading hatred for India, who don’t want peace and are supporting and nurturing terrorism.”
“Be it 9/11 in America or 26/11 in Mumbai, where can the conspirators be found? The time has come for a decisive battle to be fought against terrorism and those backing it,” he said.
For the most part, Modi and Trump demonstrated much bonhomie and camaraderie at the joint appearance.
They hugged, clasped hands, clapped each other on the back and had only the most eloquent praise for each other, the ties between their nations, their governments and spoke of the “historic” importance of their joint appearance. On display was the growing closeness between the two leaders, the easy camaraderie they have come to develop and share over their frequent meetings and interaction bilaterally and at multilateral meetings.
“You have never had a better friend as president than President Donald Trump,” Trump said as he sometimes does referring to himself in the third person. And the “the prime minister knows that”. It was Prime Minister, in fact, who brought up that before, introducing the American president. He has reminded the president of a slogan he had used as a candidate for the White House in 2016 — ‘abki bar Trump sarkar”, which was version of Modi’s own campaign slogan “abki bar Modi Sarkar.” Before their on-stage hug, they exchanged tweets as President Trump, who was running late, sought to keep the crowd warmed up through a series tweet about Modi and India. “Will be in Houston to be with my friend. Will be a great day in Texas!,” he wrote, triggering the exchange.