The house was filled with Bharat Mata Ki Jai as the PM ended his speech. Buoyed by his popularity, the members of US Congress queued up around PM Modi asking him for an autograph and clicking selfies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the most anticipated Joint Sitting of the US Congress at around 1:45 am IST.
PM Modi spoke on a series of topics ranging from India-US partnership, India’s democracy, women empowerment, technology semi-conductor, Russia-Ukraine conflict, terrorism and many more.
The Prime Minister received a warm reception with the chants of Modi Modi that echoed the chamber hall of the US Capitol as PM Modi entered inside to deliver his historic speech.
PM Modi started his speech with a Namaskar, he said it was always an honour to address the US Congress and was an exceptional privilege for him to have got the opportunity to address it twice and extended his deepest gratitude to the 1.4 billion Indians.
The Prime Minister thanked the members of the US Congress for gathering to celebrate the bond between India’s democracy and the USA’s democracy.
Paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr, he remembered many who worked for the cause of equality, liberty and justice.
Speaking on India’s diversity, PM Modi said India has more than 2500 political parties, with around 20 ruling different states, it has 22 languages officially and thousands of dialects but still it speak united.
He also did not let go the chance of taking Indian traditional cuisine global, saying in every 100 miles in India, the cuisine changes, from dosa to aloo paratha(South to North) and from Srikhand to Sandesh (West to East).
The Prime Minister also cleared India’s stand on the Russia-Ukraine conflict resonating his not era of war stand, he said this is not an era of war, but of dialogue and diplomacy and the world must come together to do all it can in the best possible way to stop the bloodshed and human suffering happening due to this war.
PM Modi also sent a strong message on terrorism, he said it is an enemy of the humanity and there cannot be an excuse when it comes to deal with it.
Stressing on eradicating terrorism, the PM said radicalism and terrorism still is a big challenge faced by the world posing a great danger and the world should overcome all the forces working to support it.
Prime Minister Modi said when he first visited the US after taking charge as the PM in 2014, India ranked 10th in the world economy and today it stands as the 5th largest economy.
He further said India is soon going to become the 3rd largest economic nation in the world.
He also spoke on a series of different topics such as women empowerment in India, youth and technology, smartphone users in India, India’s mass Covid-19 vaccination drive, Ayushman Bharat Yojana, Digital Payments System etc.
PM Modi said the world grows when India grows.
Speaking about India-US partnership he said, it is one of India’s largest defence trade partner, India-US share partnership in semiconductor, defence, space, technology, science, education, start-ups, healthcare and many more.
PM said he could speak endless about the partnership between India and the US in different sectors.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his speech with Jai Hind and Long Live India-US friendship.
The house was filled with Bharat Mata Ki Jai as the PM ended his speech. Buoyed by his popularity, the members of US Congress queued up around PM Modi asking him for an autograph and clicking selfies.
The Prime Minister landed in the US on June 21 for his maiden State visit.
PM Modi held a parlay of meetings with business heads, community leaders, scholars, experts, people from the Indian diaspora and and others.
PM Modi also headed the global celebration of the 9th International Yoga Day on June 21 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, which witnessed the participation of 180 nationals.
Earlier on June 22, Prime Minister Modi was called on US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at the White House where the leaders of the world’s largest and oldest democracy exchanged a bunch of gifts.
Later in the day, PM Modi was accorded a grand ceremonial welcome with a 19-gun salute and marching bands at the White House by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
In the welcome ceremony on the lawns of White House, apart from the President and the First Lady, senior US delegation headed by US Vice President Kamala Harris were present.
The Indian delegation, who has accompanied the PM in his visit to the US, was also present which included External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, NSA Ajit Doval, Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjeet Singh Sandhu and others.
The White House Lawns also welcomed almost 7000 Indian-American people
Later Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden held a bilateral meet discussing on various issues for the India-US’ interest and issues and challenges concerning the world.
Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.
Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”
This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.
The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.
In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.
Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”
On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”
Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.
Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.
On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.
In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.
Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.
Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.
India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.
Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.
The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.
Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.
The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.
Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.
The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.
Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.
“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.
Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.
Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.
Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.
Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.
“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.
“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.
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