On Thursday (June 22), Narendra Modi became the only Indian Prime Minister to address the joint session of the US Congress twice. He received 15 standing ovations and 79 applauses during his hour-long speech.
The Indian Prime Minister was also greeted with chants of ‘Modi Modi’, ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram.’ Following his speech, US lawmakers were seen lining up to interact with Narendra Modi.
During this time, he signed autographs and clicked selfies with members of the US Congress. PM Modi also autographed the joint session address booklet, presented to him by US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy.
It was a privilege to welcome Prime Minister @narendramodi to the U.S. Capitol, one of the greatest symbols of democracy in the world.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) June 22, 2023
I look forward to increased economic and national security ties between our two great nations. 🇮🇳🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/aFyi0YTpnW
During his historic address, Narendra Modi highlighted India’s success story on the economic front. “When I first visited the US as a PM, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Today, India is the 5th largest economy. India will be the 3rd largest economy soon,” he had said.
The Indian Prime Minister also pointed out how a tribal woman from Odisha went on to become the President of the country. He remarked, “India’s vision is not just of development that benefits women. It is of women-led development where women lead the journey of progress. A woman has risen from a humble tribal background to be our Head of State.”
PM Modi also reiterated his commitment towards climate goals. “We became the only G20 country to meet its Paris commitment…Our mission is pro-planet progress, pro-planet prosperity, pro-planet people,” he pointed out.
Narendra Modi also emphasised India’s unity in diversity. He said, “India is the home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, today the world wants to know more and more about India.”
“We have over 2,500 political parties. About 20 different parties govern various states of India. We have 22 official languages and thousands of dialects, yet we speak in one voice,” he further added.
PM Modi also underline India’s commitment to global cooperation and peace. He stated, “We live by the motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’-the world is one family. Our engagement with the world is for everyone’s benefit.”
“The same spirit is also seen in the theme when we chair the G20 Summit, One Earth, One Family, One Future. Last week, all nations joined our proposal at the UN, to build a memorial wall to honour the peacekeepers,” he concluded.
