US President hopeful Tulsi Gabbard today welcomed Prime Minister Modi to the United States of America. In a video message posted on YouTube, Gabbard extended warm welcome to Prime Minister Modi. PM Modi is scheduled to arrive in the US on Saturday, September 21.
“Aloha and Namaste!,” she said while welcoming the PM and said sorry to not be able to welcome him in person due to her previously scheduled presidential campaign events. “India is the world’s largest democracy and one of the United States’ most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Our two nations must continue to work closely together if we are to address the pressing issues which impact us and the world,” Gabbard said in her video address.
Stressing on the need to work together for a better tomorrow, Gabbard said, “Issues like combating climate change, preventing nuclear war and nuclear proliferation and improving the economic well being of our people. So as we build a strong and lasting partnership between our two nations focusing on areas of economic growth, wealth and opportunity and equality, science, health, the environment, security and counter terrorism, we can bring about the idea of ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is a family)‘ recognising that everyone on our planet, we are all one family. There is no place for hate, bigotry, ignorance and prejudice.”
Earlier this week, Gabbard had taken to Twitter to call out the lies spread by Indian media persons that she has ‘refused’ to join the much awaited ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event in Houston on 22nd September. A shady website with dubious credentials had stated that Gabbard had dropped out of ‘Howdy, Modi’ event after Congressman Ro Khanna’s call to ‘reject Hindutva’. The anti-Modi purveyor of fake news had lapped it up and spread the fake news far and wide. Gabbard, then responded to a tweet by ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub rubbishing the report clarifying that while she will not be able to attend ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event, she was hoping to meet PM Modi during his visit to the US.
The Howdy event will be the largest ever event addressed by an Indian Prime Minister in North America and also the largest for a foreign leader in the US other than Pope Francis. The Howdy event will be Prime Minister Modi’s third major address to the Indian-American community after he became PM in 2014 and the first after his re-election in May. The previous two were at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and the Silicon Valley in 2016. Both the events were attended by more than 20,000 people. US President Donald Trump will also be attending the event in Houston.
