In a grand show of friendship, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, 22 September, shared the stage at a gala event replete with symbolism and substance, as the two leaders pledged to fight terrorism while heaping praise on each other's achievements.
“When I met him for the first time, Trump said India has a true friend in the White House. Your presence here is a great testimony to that.”Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Modi gave tacit support to Trump's 2020 re-election bid at the 'Howdy, Modi' event, saying 'Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar". Trump responded with a smile. Modi's pitch will greatly help the Republican Trump in winning votes of nearly four million Indian-Americans who have traditionally voted for the Democrat Party.
"You can feel the strength and depth of the bonds between our two nations," Modi said in his speech to introduce Trump to a wildly cheering crowd of some 50,000 Indians living in the US at the event.
In his address, Modi hit out at Pakistan for its support to terrorism and said India’s decision to nullify Article 370 has caused trouble to those who cannot handle their country as he called for a “decisive battle” against terrorism.
Making a strong pitch against terrorism in the presence of President Trump, who joined the mega event in a rare gesture of friendship, Modi asked the crowd to give Trump a standing ovation, as he targeted Pakistan and its Prime Minister Imran Khan, without directly naming them.
In an apparent reference to Pakistan, Modi said that the people who cannot even manage their own country are harbouring terrorism and supporting terrorism. "The entire world knows about this," he added.
“Where do you find conspirators of 9/11 and 26/11 terror attacks,” Modi said, referring to terror attacks in the US and Mumbai.
"Time has come for a decisive fight against those who promote and support terrorism," he added.
He said that he expects positive results from his talks with President Trump in the next few days. "He (Trump) calls me a tough negotiator. But he is an expert in art of the deal. I am learning a lot from him," Modi said.
Modi invited Trump to India with family.
(With inputs from PTI)
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