°Trump said that Modi “is a highly respected man. He recently won the elections by a record margin. He is very popular. I have a lot of respect to the great friendship with Prime Minister. PM MODI has done great job. And he’s been very good to us”.

MUMBAI, 22 SEPTEMBER, 2019 (GPN):

Nearly 50,000 Indian Americans and Non-Resident Indians gathered at Houston city’s NRG Stadium on Sunday for the “Howdy, Modi!” rally hosted by Hindu nationalist Modi’s supporters in the US.

Meanwhile, thousands of people protested Modi’s visit outside the venue over the alleged human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir and other places targeting India’s minorities, mainly the Muslims, who make up about 170 million of India’s 1.3 billion population.

“From CEO to commander-in-chief, from boardrooms to the Oval Office, from studios to the global stage…he has left a lasting impact everywhere,” Modi said, with the US president standing by his side.

Amid chants of “MODI,MODI”,”NAMO, NAMO”,”USA, USA” by the crowd, Trump in his address said Modi is “doing a truly exceptional job for India”.

“We are proud to have you as Americans. We thank you, we love you, and my administration is fighting for you everyday,” the US leader said.

“We are committed to protect innocent civilians from radical Islamic terrorism,” said Trump, prompting a loud cheer from the audience – including Modi – who stood up from their seats.

Reporting from Houston,GPN’s (globalprimenews.com) Representative said, “the rally gave Modi a chance to “gloss over” the criticism his government has been facing over India’s crackdown in Kashmir.”

“It’s a chance to try and beam across the world not just in India, but in the United States and the international newspapers, and a chance to appear on stage with US President Donald Trump to gloss over much of the international criticism about his nationalist brand of politics,”he said.

When Trump and Modi meet at the United Nations later this week, they are also expected to discuss the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Last month, the Indian government stripped the disputed Himalayan region of its semi-autonomy and launched a security crackdown, which is in its second month. Thousands of people have been arrested in the region.

It was not the first time Modi, who heads the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), addressed a large crowd in the US, home to 4 million Indian Americans, including about 300,000 in Houston and nearby Dallas, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of US Census data.

Some 19,000 people turned out for a similar event in New York in 2014, and Indian American volunteers helped run a telephone blitz of voters in India in the run-up to his May reelection campaign.

Houston is a rare Democratic stronghold in Republican-dominated Texas and serves as the economic anchor of a state that will be critical to Trump’s 2020 reelection bid.

Polls show tepid support by Indian American voters, some 75 percent of whom voted for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.

Organisers of the “Howdy, Modi!” event said Trump can expect a receptive audience.

“Trump is completely welcomed by the community,” said Preeti Dawra, a spokeswoman for the Texas India Forum that organised the event.

“His presence is an indication of his support and endorsement of the strengthening of India’s relations with America. This event is about strengthening those ties.”

India and the US have been talking for months to try to resolve trade issues.

In June, the Trump administration accused India of imposing a wide range of trade barriers, and the US ended preferential trade deals with India. In return, India levied higher import duties on US goods.

GPN Representative said, ” The two leaders will share the stage “not only for the diplomatic and PR aspect, but also for economics”. “They are trying to score a trade deal in advance of the UN General Assembly,.”

When Trump and Modi meet at the United Nations later this week, they are also expected to discuss the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Last month, the Indian government stripped the disputed Himalayan region of its semi-autonomy and launched a security crackdown, which is in its second month. Thousands of people have been arrested in the region.

Taking a jibe at Pakistan PM MODI said,” Some people, who can’t control their country, are having problems with what is going on in India. Their politics is hatred towards India and cultivate terrorism. You and the entire world knows who they are.”

Highlights of PM Modi’s speech at ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Houston, United States :

• Good morning Houston, good morning Texas, good morning America. Greetings to my fellow Indians in India and around the world. Friends, this morning, we have a very special person with us. He needs no introduction.
• His name comes up in almost every conversation in the world on global politics. His every word is followed by tens of millions. He was a household name and very popular even before he went on to occupy the highest office in this great country.
• From CEOs to Commander in Chief, from boardrooms to the oval office, from studios to the global stage, from politics to the economy and to security, he has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere. Today, he is here with us. It is my honour and privilege to welcome him here in this magnificent stadium and magnificent gathering.
• And I can say is that I had a chance to meet him often and every time I found the friendliness, the warmth, the energy of the President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump. This is extraordinary. This is unprecedented.
• Thank you President Trump, thanks a lot. Howdy, my friends?
• This scene, this atmosphere…it is unimaginable.
• And when it comes to Texas, everything has to be bigger and spectacular. The spirit of Texas is reflecting here today. This giant human surge is not limited to arithmetic. Today, we are witnessing a new history being made and a new chemistry too.
• The energy of NRG is witness to the growing synergy between India and the US.
• President Trump coming here, different representatives – Democrats and Republicans – and saying so much for me, wishing me, it is a grand salute to the Indians living in the US. It is a salute to 1.3 billion Indians.
• So if you ask me Howdy, Modi? My answer is: Everything is great in India.
• Friends, our American friends must be amazed by what I said. President Trump and my American friends, all I said was ‘everything is fine’. But in a few different languages from India, which are a symbol of liberal and democratic society. In our country, different languages have co-existed for thousands of years. And not just languages, different cultures, appearances have made our country diverse.
• Unity in diversity is our heritage, it is our specialty. It is the proof of our vibrant democracy. This is our power, our inspiration. Wherever we go, we take the principles of diversity and democracy along with us.
• Many of you participated in the biggest festival of democracy, the 2019 general election. 61 crore voters participated in the election. The highest number of women voters voted in this election and the highest number of women have been elected. Why did it happen? No, not because of Modi. It happened because of Indians.
• Patience is the identity of Indians but now we are impatient for India’s progress.
• We are challenging ourselves, we are changing ourselves. Today, India wants to go ahead at a greater pace. Today, India is challenging those who believe nothing can change. In the last five years, 130 crore Indians have achieved things which no one could have even imagined. We are aiming high, we are achieving higher.
• Today, rural sanitation is at 99 per cent. Cooking gas connections used to be 55 per cent, within 5 years, we have brought it to 95 per cent. In just 5 years, we have given gas connections to 15 crore people.
• Today, they say data is the new oil. When it comes to oil, you people of Houston know it very well. I will even say data is the new gold. Industrial Revolution 4.0 is all about data. Today, the cheapest data is available in India. Today, 1 GB data costs just 25-30 cents in India.
• We have bid farewell to Article 370. Article 370 had kept people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh away from progress and rights. Terrorists and separatists were using it to their advantage. Now people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have the same rights as every Indian.
• Both houses of parliament debated this for hours, and it was telecast live. Even though we don’t have majority in the upper house, but still both the houses cleared the motion with two-third majority. I request you to give a standing ovation to the lawmakers of India.
• What India is doing has troubled some people who can’t even manage their own country. They have made hatred towards India the centre of their agenda. They support terror, they harbor terrorists. Not just you, the whole world knows who these people are. Whether it is the 9/11 attack in America or the 26/11 attack in Mumbai, where are its conspirators found?
• The time has come for a decisive fight against terrorism and those who support terrorism.
• I want to stress here that President Trump is standing firmly against this. I want you to give a standing ovation to his resolve as well.
• India purged Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Article 370 had prevented J&K, Ladakh people from development.
• We are going to spend $1.3 trillion on infrastructure. India’s growth rate has averaged 7.3 per cent in the last five years. This has never happened before. For the first time there is low inflation, high growth.
• I hope to have some positive results from my talks with President Trump over the next few days. While he calls me a tough negotiator, he is a master of the art of the deal.
• Mr President, I invite you to come to India with your family.

PM Modi ended his speech at Howdy, Modi event and said, “May God bless you all.”

The ‘Howdy, Modi’ event in Huston (USA) today has reignited shared Indian-American dreams and their bright futures. The oldest and largest democracies joined hands today giving us hope and a promising future. It was history in the making, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

“Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has once again shown his ability to make a mark at the global stage with his leadership and statesmanship. Today’s event at Huston was the reaffirmation of his charisma, his appeal and the impact he has around the world,” he said.

ENDS