Modi to undertake more than 50 engagements during US trip

Washington/New York: From meeting President Barack Obama to delivering his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have his hands full during his visit to the US, where he is expected to undertake more than 50 engagements over 100 hours of stay. [caption id=“attachment_1726055” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Obama will be hosting a private dinner for Modi. IBN Live[/caption] A hectic agenda awaits Modi in the US as he would utilise his stay to meet top global leaders, address thousands of cheering crowds, make a speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and interact with CEOs of the Fortune 500, in addition to his Oval Office meeting with President Obama. The series of engagements – estimated to be over 50 – in a little over 100 hours from the time Air India One touches down at the John F Kennedy international airport in New York on 26 September till the wheels are up at the Andrews Air Force Base in Washington on 30 September evening –- are all aimed at achieving Modi’s goal of a resurgent India. In his interactions with top American CEOs, a majority of whom are said to be from Fortune 500, the Prime Minister would be rolling out his policy of “red carpet and not red tape” to invite them to come, invest and make in India. In his interaction with leaders like American business magnate and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Modi would be listening to his experience of smart cities. In his address to nearly 20,000 Indian-Americans and in his subsequent meetings with the Indian diaspora, Modi is expected to seek their “partnership” in a resurgent India, which occupies its due place in the international community. Modi would also be meeting top American political leadership ranging from former US President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Indian-American South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley. Modi will be hosted for tea by Speaker of the US House of Representatives Joe Boehner and more than 50 lawmakers during his stay either in New York or Washington. In Washington, there is a very high level of expectations from Modi’s meeting with President Obama. Obama has gone out of his way to host a rare private dinner for Modi at the White House on 29 September, so as to establish a personal relationship with the Indian leader. Ahead of his main summit at the White House on 30 September, Modi would visit the Martin Luther King Memorial and Lincoln Memorial in Washington and pay floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in front of the Indian Embassy. This would be for the first time that an Indian Prime Minister would have so many public and private engagements during a US visit. PTI