Modi went, spoke and
conquered !

Special to Power Politics

PM Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump I t was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's day at Houston (Texas) in US on September 22, a Sunday. He appeared to be at his best while addressing a 50,000-plus gathering of Indian-Americans in the presence of US President Donald Trump at an event called "Howdy, Modi". After presenting a rosy picture of India on the occasion to the delight of those present at Houston's NRG Stadium and others watching the event on their television screens in India and elsewhere, he took Pakistan head-on, though without naming it, for its role in sponsoring cross-border terrorism.

"Where do you find conspirators of 9/11 and 26/11 (Mumbai) terrorist attacks?" Modi asked and then asserted that time had come for a decisive fight against those who promote terrorism.

Referring to Pakistan, again without naming it, Modi chided it by saying, "India's actions within its own boundaries have led to uneasiness among some people who are unable to manage the affairs of their own country. These people have put their hatred of India at the centre of their political agenda. They are the people who provide sustenance to terrorism.

The Prime Minister's first engagement in Houston was a roundtable meeting with CEOs of 17 global energy companies, which have their presence in 150 companies. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, the CEOs appreciated India's efforts for ensuring the ease of doing business. They hinted at enhancing their presence in India.

Here Modi was referring to India's decision to scrap Articles 370 and 35 A of the Constitution to end Jammu and Kashmir's special status and convert it into two union territories (Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh) with a view to not only promoting growth-related activities but also preventing terrorist and disruptive forces from strengthening their roots there under the circumstances that prevailed earlier. He claimed that "Article 370 encouraged terrorism and separatism in Jammu and Kashmir."

Without bothering about reports of the country being faced with economic slowdown, he reeled out facts and figures to convey the message that India provided an excellent opportunity to international investors to set up shop in any part of the nation. He tried to woo American investors by claiming that today it was the easiest thing to get a company registered in India and that there was no problem of infrastructural facilitie.

PM Modi described President Trump as the best friend of India in the White House and the US leader responded to it with a broad smile. However, Modi was described as having crossed the boundaries of expressing mutual admiration when he declared, "Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar" on the analogy of the slogan used by the BJP to win the parliamentary elections to form its government for a second term.

The use of the slogan could be interpreted as India's head of government asking US voters to give second chance to President Trump, who has expressed his desire to fight for Republican nomination for the 2020 Presidential elections.

Earlier, President Trump had lavished praise on Modi while owing to protect innocent civilians from the threat of terrorism. Emphasising the point that border security was vital for containing terrorism in the case of both the US and India, Trump said, "Border security is vital to the United States. Border security is vital to India. And we understand that.

After the conclusion of Modi's speech, the two leaders walked hand-in-hand to a rapturous applause by the people present in and outside the stadium to make it appear as if it was a India-US joint function. But this showed that the two leaders were committed to taking their countries' relations to a new high despite the hick-ups on trade and other issues.

As a good salesman who found time to showcase India's plural character, Modi had meetings with leaders of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, known for being successful businessmen.

The Dawoodi Bohras, belonging to the Muslims' Shia sect, have their concentration mostly in western India. They have been maintaining good relationship with Modi, who in a tweet recalled his association with the Bohras' spiritual head. The tweet had it that "the Dawoodi Bohra community has distinguished itself across the world. In Houston, I had the opportunity to spend some time with them and speak about a wide range of issues."

Narendra Modi meeting a community of Kashmiri Pandits in Houston A 50-member delegation of Sikhs from across the US also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Modi also had interaction with community leaders of the Sikhs and the Kashmiri Pandits in Houston. A group of Sikhs raised slogans like "Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" at the hotel where the Prime Minister stayed overnight. Talking to Kashmiri Pandit representatives, he said, "You have suffered a lot.... Let us together build a new Kashmir."

As a mark of exceptional relationship between the peoples of India and Houston, Modi was presented a large golden cut-out of the traditional key to Houston by the city mayor, Sylvester Turner, upon his arrival at the venue of the Howdy, Modi function. He bowed to the crowd as he arrived at the stage and people responded to the gesture by raising the slogan "Modi, Modi".

The Prime Minister's first engagement in Houston was a roundtable meeting with CEOs of 17 global energy companies, which have their presence in 150 companies. According to India's Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, the CEOs appreciated India's efforts for ensuring the ease of doing business. They hinted at enhancing their presence in India.

In the meantime, India announced at Houston that its company, Petronet, would invest $2.5 billion in Houston-based Tellurian's proposed driftwood LNG export terminal with a view to securing rights for 5 million metric tonnes of LNG per year for over 40 years. As a result, India's energy imports from the US will go up considerably.

There were some disturbing developments too as groups of disgruntled Kashmiri Muslims and allegedly separatist Sikhs joined some Pakistanis to hold demonstrations against Modi. However, Modi appeared to be successful in winning the hearts of all those who had reached the venue of the function, postponing their other engagements, to listen to the powerful leader of their motherland.