INDIAN PRIME MINISTER MODI'S STATE VISIT TO THE US

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed a fourday state visit to the United States of America.

- H.E. Prof. Tal Edgars

The Background and Significance of PM Modi’s Visit 

On June 21, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Washington to commence a four-day state visit to the United States. This is only the third official state visit of Biden’s term, following visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. In honour of Modi’s arrival, over 5,000 prominent community members of the Indian diaspora will gather at the White House to witness his ceremonial welcome on June 22, which will include a 21-gun salute.

There are five types of visits that can be accorded to a ranking member of a foreign government. A state visit is the highest-ranking of the five and can only be offered to a chief of state at the invitation of the U.S. president. While Modi has previously visited the United States during both the Obama and Trump administrations, this is the first time he has been invited for a state visit.

As a part of his official state visit, Modi will stay for three nights in Blair House, the president’s official guest house. He will have a meeting with President Biden, a state dinner at the White House, and full honours arrival and departure ceremonies on the south grounds of the White House. Modi has also been invited to address the U.S. Congress for only the second time in his term—the first being in 2016—which is unprecedented for an Indian Prime Minister.

The visit is thus both a personal honour for him and a rehabilitation of his global image, considering that he was denied a U.S. visa in 2005 on the grounds of “severe violations of religious freedom” due to his perceived role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. This dramatic change in his status signifies that the Biden administration sees India as a critical partner today.