 "Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets US Vice President JD Vance. Image Courtesy: @narendramodi")
US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the most popular leader in the democratic world as he heaped praises for India’s history and culture during his official visit to India.
Vance addressed an event in Rajasthan’s Jaipur, where he said, “We’re not here to preach that you do things any one particular way. Prior administrations saw India as a source of low-cost labour. On the one hand, even as they criticised the Prime Minister’s government, arguably the most popular in the democratic world, and as I told Prime Minister Modi last night, he’s got approval ratings that would make me jealous.”
The US VP added that he is “amazed” by India’s ancient history and architecture. Vance and his wife, Usha and their three children visited the famed Amber Fort for a red carpet welcome on Tuesday morning. Flanked by security personnel, as the Vances entered the main courtyard – Jaleb Chowk – two decorated female elephants named Chanda and Mala greeted them by raising their trunks, an official said.
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More Shorts‘Trump wants India to grow’
The vice president said that US President Donald Trump “wants India to grow” as tariffs remain a point of contention between New Delhi and Washington.
“President Trump wants America to grow. He wants India to grow, and he wants to build a future with our partners all the way. Our administration seeks trade partners on the basis of fairness and shared national interests. We want to partner with people in countries who recognise the historic nature of the moment,” Vance said.
He added that India and the US have finalised the terms of reference for the trade negotiation, adding that the two countries can accomplish a lot if they work together.
India-US trade
Yesterday, Vance met PM Modi at his official residence in New Delhi, where they touted progress in talks for a trade deal between the two countries.
Statements from the Trump administration said the two countries agreed on a roadmap for further discussions on trade.
Vance’s office said talks present “an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement focused on promoting job creation and citizen well-being in both countries.”
They also discussed regional and global issues and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, it said, reiterating a standard Indian line about global conflicts without naming any. New Delhi has in the past used this formulation for the war in Ukraine.
With inputs from agencies