In a few weeks PM Modi will embark on a crucial visit to the United States, his first since his re-election in June of this year. But this time his engagements are quite unlike his previous grand visits, the recent powerful state visit hosted by President Joe Biden and the packed Howdy Modi event hosted by the then President Donald Trump come to mind.
This time however Modi and his team have opted for a very focused and low key engagement. It is expected that the Prime Minister will be visiting only New York. He will attend the UN General Assembly and hold bilateral talks with the other heads of state on the side. He will also have meetings with the top business leaders.
This year, the high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly will take place from September 24-30. As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the U.N. on Monday, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the high-level session in the afternoon of September 26.
Modi is also expected to address the Indian diaspora on September 22 at the Veterans Memorial coliseum in New York. The arena seats 15000 people but due to immense interest 24000 people have signed up to attend the event.
It is also noted that Modi will not travel to the capital Washington DC. The upcoming American presidential elections probably played a part in the decision. No American politician has been invited to the event as well, which will most likely be an interaction with the Indian diaspora. There will be a few cultural performances and some well known artists will perform for the crowds.
Attendees and participating organisations will also include a wide range of religious communities, including members of the Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities. They also represent a significant cross-section of India’s diverse languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and others.