Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a ceremonial welcome upon his arrival at the White House on Thursday by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
PM Modi and President Biden will have a one-on-one meeting in the Oval Office of the White House before holding high-level talks to further boost the growing Indo-US strategic relations in areas like defence, space, clean energy and critical technologies.
President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden welcomed PM Modi to the White House lawns as he was wearing a traditional white kurta pyjama and powder blue jacket.
PM Modi was greeted by a US team that included Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin. The Indian delegation, consisting of key figures like External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, and Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Sandhu, was also in attendance.
Thousands of people gathered on the South Lawns of the White House to welcome PM Modi as the national anthems of the US and India played.”Looking forward to today’s talks with @POTUS @JoeBiden. I am confident our discussions will further strengthen India-USA relations,” PM Modi tweeted.
Later, the Prime Minister will also speak to Congress in a joint session. Members of the Indian community and other visitors gathered on the White House lawns to welcome the Prime Minister. Visuals depict massive throngs of people yelling while raising the American and Indian flags.
Huge Indian Diaspora had gathered to welcome PM Modi at the White House
The videos coming from South Lawn of the White House showed people waving Indian and American flags, shouting slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Modi, Modi”. Earlier US first lady Jill Biden said “And on the transparent sides, those colours–and the strength and heritage they represent–frame the iconic scenery and symbols of our nation, our democracy and our history: the White House and the Washington Monument,”
Among the people who had congregated at the South Lawn was a woman who said, “I have seen Presidents of many countries visiting the US, but never seen such a large crowd gathered here to welcome them. This crowd here means that he (PM Modi) is doing good.”
At the White House, the leaders also exchanged presents. US President Biden received a beautiful sandalwood box from PM Modi that was created by an expert artisan from Jaipur, Rajasthan. He also sent US First Lady Jill Biden “papier mache” and a 7.5-carat lab-grown green diamond.
Tomorrow at noon local time, US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will welcome Prime Minister Modi at a luncheon. Prime Minister Modi is set to connect with a number of top CEOs, professionals, and other stakeholders in addition to his formal engagements. He’ll also get to meet the Indian diaspora.
