US to say ‘Howdy, Modi’ today
HOUSTON: Indian-americans in Houston are all set to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the mega “Howdy, Modi” event on Sunday, to be attended by 50,000 audience, the largest gathering ever for an elected foreign leader visiting the US, other than the Pope.
Meanwhile, the United States and India are racing to negotiate a limited trade deal that US President Donald Trump and Modi can sign at the United Nations General Assembly in New York at the end of September, people familiar with the talks said.
A deal between the world’s most populous democracies would be a welcome victory for Trump, whose administration has made little headway negotiating an end to its prolonged trade war with China.
The deal under discussion with India would lower some tariffs on US produce and restore preferential treatment for some Indian exports to the United States, the sources said.
“There’s a push to get something done with India, with an eye for UNGA,” said a Washingtonbased source familiar with the discussions.
The three-hour “Howdy, Modi!” event in which Trump will join Modi is being organised at the sprawling NRG Football Stadium, one of the largest in the US, with an impressive history of shows that starred Beyonce, Metallica, U2.
Indian Ambassador Harsh V Shringla along with his team previewed the event at NRG Stadium early Friday.
At a press briefing on Friday, Texas India Forum (TIF) spokespersons Priti Dawra, Gitesh Desai and Rishi Bhutada briefed media about the event.