‘Ab ki baar Trump sarkar’
HOUSTON: Under relentless attack by opposition parties in India on joblessness, Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the global stage in presence of US President Donald Trump and American lawmakers, said back home everything is fine.
Addressing over 50,000 Indian-Americans at the historic ‘Howdy Modi’ rally at the NRG stadium here, the Prime Minister asserted that everything is okay in the country and repeated the phrase in number of Indian languages including Punjabi, Gujarati, Bangla and Hindi. The Prime Minister said while Indians are known for their patience, now the country has become ‘adheer’ (restive) about development.
He said ”We are changing ourselves and challenging ourselves….We are aiming high and achieving higher”. The Prime Minister said in India the most spoken word is ‘Vikaas’ (development) and the mantra is ‘Sabka saath, Sabka Vikaas’.
Trump a true friend
Earlier Modi introduced Trump to the Indian-Americans as a very “special person” whose presence at the event signals India has a true friend at the White House.
Modi said it was an honour and privilege for him to welcome Trump in this magnificent stadium and magnificent gathering. “Greetings to my fellow Indians in India and around the world. Friends, this morning, we have a very special person with us,” Prime Minister Modi said. “He (Trump) was a household name even before he went to hold the highest seat in the US,” Modi said while greeting Trump.
Modi said he met Trump a few times and every time he has been warm, friendly, accessibly, energetic and full of wit. “And I can say I had a chance to meet him often and every time I found the friendliness, the warmth and the energy,” he said. “President this morning in Houston, you can hear the heartbeat of this great partnership in this celebration of the world’s two largest democracies,” Modi said.
The Prime Minister said in 2014, President Trump had said that he will be true friend of India and he had kept his word. Modi echoed his own poll slogan and said ”Ab ki baar Trump sarkar”, which can be in reference to next year’s presidential elections in America.
”Mr President, you introduced me to your family in 2017, today I have the honour to introduce my family”, the Prime Minister said in reference to overwhelming presence of Indian Americans.
In his address, Trump said ”Both India and US understand that to keep our community safe, we must protect our borders.” He said both the countries will work against terrorism.
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 re-election bid. Polls show tepid support by Indian-American voters, some 75 per cent of whom voted for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in 2016. (Agencies)
