A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his address to a joint sitting of the US Congress, US House Representative Ro Khanna who has been close to Congress’s Rahul Gandhi and who is also part of the Pakistan Congressional Caucus, showered praises for the Prime Minister saying that the speech delivered by PM Modi was a strong speech.
“I think the Prime Minister gave a very strong speech,” he said also adding that the address was well received by the US Congress. He asserted that PM Modi reaffirmed the US and India’s collaboration in business, technology, and defence, as well as the very significant statement that India respects all world religions.
#WATCH | US Congressmen Ro Khanna, says "I think the Prime Minister gave a very strong speech. He affirmed the US economic, technology, and defence partnership and he also said something important that India respects all faiths. It was a well-received speech," pic.twitter.com/t8vHxGbteA
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2023
Other US Congress leaders also praised PM Modi and said that the leader tried to endure friendship and partnership between India and the United State. “It was a wonderful speech. The important part of the speech was the enduring friendship and partnership between India and the United States; it was a good reminder for Congress and American people,” said US Congressmen Greg Stanton.
Also Dan Crenshaw said, “I was just strongly impressed. He gave a great speech…It was uplifting. It was very relevant to the issues and conflicts that the world is currently facing. I think everyone, Republicans, and Democrats could learn from it and could take a lot from it.”
The US Congressmen gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a standing ovation and loud applause as he wrapped up his speech to the joint session. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, praised the address and stated, “It was a fantastic speech talking about the unity between US & India.”
“I think more than anything, he talked about the future. It was a very moving speech, it was great to have all the American Indians in that gallery who were so passionate about this man. I am very glad to see that we are now selling weapons to India to help her defend herself from aggressive behaviour from communist China or terrorist organisations,” he added.
PM Modi highlighted India’s unity in diversity during the address
On Thursday, PM Modi highlighted India’s unity in diversity, at the historic address to the joint sitting of the US Congress. “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,” said PM Modi.
Further speaking about Indian diversity, he said, “We have over 2500 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. Every 100 miles our cuisine changes, from dosa to aloo paratha.”
He asserted that the entire world is becoming more and more interested in finding out about India. On Thursday, he arrived in the US House of Representatives, where he gave a speech to the US Congress. PM Modi said that it is always a great honour to address the US Congress. The members at the House could be seen cheering and applauding PM Modi.
Incredible scenes as the US Congress echoes with thunderous 'Modi Modi' slogans!
— Col Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) June 23, 2023
A true testament to the effective leadership and global impact of Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji that resonates across borders.#ModiInAmerica#PMModiInUSA https://t.co/kXoEKpX3vB pic.twitter.com/psQAmEFJ9b
“It is an exceptional privilege to do so twice. For this honour, I extend my deepest gratitude to the 1.4 billion people of India. I see that nearly half of you were here in 2016. I can also see the enthusiasm of the old friends and the new friends in the other half,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“Standing here seven Junes ago, when Hamilton swept all the awards, I said that the hesitations of history were behind us. Now, when our era is at a crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century,” he added.
Ro Khanna extended support to Rahul Gandhi when he was disqualified
Notably, Ro Khanna is a US politician who had extended support to, Rahul Gandhi. Recently, after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case, Khanna issued a tweet saying, “The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values.”
He also said that his grandfather sacrificed years in jail for democracy. “Narendra Modi, you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy,” he had said.
Although Khanna is of Indian origin by lineage, he was born in Philadelphia city of Pennsylvania. He has been actively involved in US politics as a Democratic Party leader since 2016. Indians in March this year mocked Khanna for supporting Gandhi and meddling in India’s internal affairs without fully understanding the political context.
Ro Khanna presented a distorted version of Hindutva
Also, in August 2019, Ro Khanna courted controversy for presenting a distorted version of Hindutva to his American followers. He had tweeted, “Important article. It’s the duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and speak for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist & Christians. That is the vision of India my grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar fought for.”
Important article. It’s the duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and speak for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhist & Christians. That is the vision of India my grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar fought for.
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) August 29, 2019
Ro Khanna joined Congressional Pakistan Caucus in 2019
Further in the year 2019, Ro Khanna joined the Pakistan Congressional Caucus, becoming the first Indian-American to do so. This move had raised eyebrows in the Indian-American community, while he was welcomed by the Pakistanis, including Pakistan’s ambassador to the US. Notably, Ro Khann is also a member of the India Caucus in the Congress and is currently the Vice-Chair of the same. He is set to become the next chair of the Congressional Caucus on India.
In September 2019, around 230 Indian-American organisations in the US wrote a letter to Ro Khanna, urging him to withdraw from the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. “Membership in (the Congressional Pakistan) Caucus is contrary to both American principles and our geostrategic interests in the Indian Subcontinent and the broader South Asian region,” the letter read. It also raised concerns about Ro Khanna’s social media interaction with an anti-Hindu activist, Pieter Friedrich.
“We further urge you to write directly to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and meet with (Pakistan) Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan to address Pakistan’s ongoing use of terrorism to destabilise the region and its rampant and severe human rights violations,” the letter emphasised.
However, Ro Khanna refused to withdraw from the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. “I think it all stems from a naivete that they don’t understand politics. But it is really irrelevant in my district and that’s where my first priority is,” he defended his decision.
“I certainly will never bow my convictions because of a special interest lobby…I have no tolerance for right-wing nationalists who are affiliated with Donald Trump…They are maybe 2 to 3 per cent in an echo chamber in this district…But they will see that our values, our district, is pluralistic.” Khanna had said.
