US will always want partnership with PM Modi: EAM S Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted the strong bonds that exist between the US and India on Friday, stating that the US will always want a partnership with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that any US president will likely have positive relationships with India.

“Whoever will be the President of America will have good relations with India, because America will always want to have a partnership with PM Modi,” Jaishankar said, engaging with the students in Pune at the launch event of the Marathi translation of his book, “Why Bharat Matters.”

In a meeting with Arun Venkatraman, the Assistant Secretary of the International Trade Administration, last month, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti talked about methods to improve trade between the US and India as well as the significance of this strategic alliance.

The ‘East West Center’s’ contribution to strengthening relations between the US, Asia, and the Pacific islands was also commended by the US envoy.

Jaishankar further emphasized that the events involving American students are not political in nature.

“The incidents that happened with students in America are not political, we have told the Embassy to maintain maximum contact with the student community, all the cases are individual cases, there is no connection with each other,” he said.

Notably, there have been a number of upsetting US reports of Indian nationals or persons of Indian descent in recent times.

In the first two months of 2024, there were reports of up to five Indian students who had died in various events. Vivek Taneja, 41, passed away in Washington as well from wounds sustained in an assault.

Syed Mazahir Ali, an Indian student, was the victim of a vicious attack in Chicago in February. The Indian Consulate in Chicago said it was in contact with the victim and his wife in India after the attack.

The Ministry of External Affairs denounced the deaths of Indian students in the US earlier today and stated that multiple factors contributed to their deaths. It also stated that investigations into two recent cases are ongoing and that Indian authorities have brought up the matter with US authorities.

During Friday’s weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal brought attention to the tragic deaths of Indian students in the US.

Randhir Jaiswal stated that approximately ten Indian students have died since January, citing the data.

“Since January, there have been some 10 Indian students who have passed away. One was a case of homicide which was registered against a vagrant person. This was the most unfortunate of Vivek Saini. Then, there was a case in which the victim was shot at,” he said.