United States President Donald Trump has confirmed his participation at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's massive Indian community event - 'Howdy, Modi' in Houston. It is scheduled to take place during his trip to the US starting on September 22.
The upcoming trip to the US will be Modi's sixth trip to the country since he assumed office in 2014, and his first trip since 2017, according to the Prime Minister's Office.
BOOM compiles all you need to know about the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming trip to the US and of the event.
Why is 'Howdy, Modi' such a huge affair?
For starters, 'Howdy, Modi' will be one of the largest event by an Indian leader, or for a foreign leader (except for Pope Francis). Fifty thousand people have signed up to attend the event. Registrations are still open, but people will now be put on a wait list. Modi previously had two events in the US - the event at Madison Square in 2014 had a footfall of around 19,000 and that in the Silicon Valley in 2015 had a footfall near 18,000. Both of them revolved around addressing the Indian diaspora in the US.
The event is scheduled to take place at 10 a.m. (local time) on September 22 at the NRG Stadium in Houston.
The theme for this rally will be 'Shared Dream: Bright Future', where Modi is expected to talk about the contributions of Indian-Americans to the US and the country's relations with India.
This event is being organised by the Texas-India Forum (TIF), with the help of more than 1,000 volunteers. TIF is an American non-profit that aims to enhance ties between the US and India.
What has the White House said?
The White House, in a statement on its website, has said that Trump will attend the event, accompanying Modi.
An excerpt of the statement says:
"In Houston, President Trump will participate in an event with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India. The event, “Howdy, Modi! Shared Dreams, Bright Futures,” is expected to draw tens of thousands of people. It will be a great opportunity to emphasize the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world’s oldest and largest democracies, and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship."
The statement can be found here.
Modi has welcomed Trump's participation through a series of tweets.
TIF too confirmed Trump's presence, and issued the following statement.
Houston is home to around 5 lakh Indian-Americans.
The Governor of Texas, Gregg Abbot, Senator John Cornyn of the India-US caucus, and the Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner have also welcomed Modi's participation in 'Howdy, Modi'.
For what else is Modi visiting the US?
After his sojourn in Houston, Modi will visit New York City to address the United Nations (UN) General Assembly - the main legislative body of the UN - on September 27.
The General Assembly convenes every September to have its annual session. This period known for various speeches and addresses to the UN General Assembly from world leaders of countries around the globe.
