modi visit wiki

What’s behind Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s US visit?

The US is seeking stronger ties with India, which it sees as a vital ally in efforts to contain China’s rise.

The administration of United States President Joe Biden is scheduled to host Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an official visit later this week, as the two countries strengthen their ties amid shared antipathy towards China’s growing influence.

The White House will hold a state dinner in Modi’s honour on June 22, a sign of the burgeoning relationship between the two powers who have stepped up cooperation in areas such as trade and arms sales.

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India, us agree on roadmap for defence industry cooperation, india’s pm narendra modi to address us congress, bbc gets india court summons in defamation case over modi film.

In a press release, the Biden administration said that a recent trip to New Delhi by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan “underscored the dynamism of the US-India partnership in advance of Prime Minister Modi’s historic official state visit next week to the United States”.

But human rights groups say the celebratory dinner is a de facto endorsement of India’s far-right turn under Modi’s leadership — and undermines the Biden administration’s stated goal of emphasising human rights and democracy in its foreign policy.

During Modi’s tenure, India’s Muslims and other minorities have experienced an uptick in violence and repression as the government leans into a form of Hindu nationalism known as Hindutva . Modi has also been criticised for seeking to consolidate power and crack down on dissent.

“A state dinner is a special occasion; it’s not something that just any foreign leader receives,” Edward Mitchell, the deputy executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), told Al Jazeera over a phone call.

“How can the White House honour a leader who is an open anti-Muslim bigot, a right-wing ideologue who censors journalists and turns a blind eye to lynchings? You can work with India and Modi without taking this extra step to celebrate him.”

Confronting China

While advocacy groups have called for greater scrutiny of India’s human rights record , foreign policy experts say the Biden administration is primarily interested in the country as a potential counterweight to China, which the US sees as its most formidable global competitor.

Sarang Shidore, Director of Studies and Senior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute, a US-based think tank, told Al Jazeera that he believes the US-India relationship will continue to grow as long as their shared concern over China remains in place.

“The United States does not conduct its foreign policy based on democracy and human rights. It conducts its foreign policy based on its interests, as all states do,” Shidore said.

China’s growing military power and assertive territorial claims have become a source of concern for nearby Asian countries such as the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and India. The US has worked to fashion alliances with many of those countries in an attempt to contain China’s expanding influence.

“No question, there is increased Chinese nationalism,” said Shidore. “And China sees India as an increasing challenge due to its relationship with the US.”

Expanding ties

That was not always the case. During the Cold War, India’s relations with the US were often frosty. The country had cultivated close ties with the USSR and helped spearhead the Non-Aligned Movement, an organisation of countries that rejected pressures to join either pro-US or pro-Soviet blocs.

For its part, the US was a key ally of Pakistan. And by the early 1970s, the administration of US President Richard Nixon started to build a cooperative relationship with China, as an attempt, in part, to place pressure on the USSR.

But as the Cold War ended and China’s economic rise became a preoccupation of US foreign policy, India — with its size and economic heft — started to be seen as a key regional ally.

Despite its improved ties with the US, however, India has continued to resist what it sees as a false choice between the US and countries like President Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

But as Russia wages war in Ukraine and Washington seeks to isolate Moscow economically and diplomatically, that balancing act has become more difficult for India to maintain.

While India has increased its purchase of weapons from countries such as France and the US and recently agreed on a roadmap to increase cooperation with the US defence industry, it remains the world’s largest importer of Russian arms.

India has also joined China in buying up Russian oil at discounted prices, while the US and the European Union angle to limit Russia’s power in the global energy market.

But Shidore said that India’s status as a central player in Washington’s Asia strategy gives it significant leverage . Its ties to Russia are not likely to get in the way of its relationship with the US, he explained.

“India has played this quite well, playing Russia and the US off each other, and has benefitted in the process,” he said. “A country like India, which has such a strong convergence with the US on China, can create major spaces where it will differ very strongly from the US and can ride that out.”

Consolidating control

While US relations with allies such as Saudi Arabia and Israel have come under political scrutiny in recent years, Modi’s trip to the US has been welcomed with bipartisan support. An a joint letter inviting Modi to address Congress during his visit, members of the US House of Representatives and Senate have hailed the visit as a sign of the “enduring friendship” between the two countries.

“During your address, you will have the opportunity to share your vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges our countries both face,” the letter reads.

However, Modi’s human rights record has not gone entirely unremarked. On Tuesday, a group of more than 70 lawmakers from the US House and Senate penned a letter to the Biden urging him to discuss concerns about religious freedom and journalistic expression in his talks with Modi.

The Muslim rights group CAIR, meanwhile, has issued a statement calling on the White House to drop its plans for a state dinner.

Modi’s high-profile reception in the US is a far cry from what he experienced before he was first elected prime minister in 2014. Prior to becoming India’s leader, Modi had been banned from entering the US due to allegations that he turned a blind eye to anti-Muslim violence in the western Indian state of Gujarat in 2002, when he was the province’s chief minister.

The deadly 2002 riots were the subject of a BBC documentary that Modi tried to ban in January, invoking his emergency powers as prime minister. The rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch screened the documentary in Washington on Tuesday.

Human rights groups say the move to ban the film was representative of a larger effort under Modi to stifle dissent and exercise control over independent institutions. They also accuse his government of pursuing an agenda influenced by far-right Hindu nationalism.

In an annual report on religious freedom in May, the US State Department expressed concern about the situation in India, noting that there were “open calls for genocide against Muslims”, lynchings and “attacks on places of worship”.

In May, for the fourth year in a row, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom called on the State Department to designate India as a “country of particular concern”.

In some states controlled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), politicians who lean into violent anti-Muslim rhetoric face little reprimand. Some Hindu nationalist paramilitaries have also waged a campaign against interfaith marriages , which they portray as an effort to dilute the Hindu population and win converts to Islam through “love jihad”.

Shidore, however, said that Modi’s human rights record has been quickly “papered over” and is unlikely to prevent cooperation with the US, so long as China remains a serious global competitor.

“The United States”, he said, “has set human rights issues aside in order to strengthen ties”.

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PM Modi's historic US trip: All you need to know about ‘state visit’

The june 20-24 visit will be modi's sixth to the united states as india's pm, but his first official state visit to the country..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for his historic state visit to the United States. This will be his sixth US visit since coming to power in May 2014, but his first official state visit to the country. The trip will commence on June 20 and conclude on June 24, after which the prime minister will leave for another maiden state visit, to Egypt.

Also Read | Modi leaves for historic US visit: ‘Together we stand stronger’

What is a state visit.

It is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country. When a leader undertakes a state visit, the head of state of the destination country acts as the former's official host throughout the duration of the trip.

Such a visit always includes a state reception by the host for the guest. US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, too, will host PM Modi for a state dinner.

Also, a state visit is usually reserved only for ‘closest friends and allies.’ It, therefore, signifies the highest expression of friendly bilateral ties between two sovereign nations.

How is a state visit different from an official visit?

The latter involves much less pomp and show than the former. An official visit, also sometimes known as official working visit or working visit, may include an official dinner, which, however, is nowhere near as glittering as a state dinner.

Also, a state visit is usually undertaken by a head of state, and not the head of government. Modi's trip, therefore, is significant as the President is the head of state in India, and the prime minister, the head of government. The US President is both the head of state and government.

Indian leaders and state visits to the US

Before Modi, only 2 Indian leaders have been hosted by the United States as an official state guest: President S Radhakrishnan in June 1963, and PM Manmohan Singh in November 2009.

Also Read | Modi in USA: 5 things to know about PM's upcoming state visit

Overall, as many as 9 Indian PMs have undertaken visits to the US: Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee (4 trips each), Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi (3 each), PV Narasimha Rao (2), and Morarji Desai and IK Gujral (1 each). Singh, on the other hand, went there 8 times as India's premier.

Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times' newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we've got you covered. ...view detail

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Photography

In photos: President Biden hosts Indian Prime Minister Modi during state visit

By Washington Post Staff | Jun 22, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India is visiting President Biden at the White House for a state visit featuring both fanfare and substance, highlighting the growing importance of the U.S.-India relationship at a time of geopolitical turmoil.

Tom Brenner for The Washington Post

Biden and Modi walk toward the Oval Office.

Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post

Biden and Modi during their meeting in the Oval Office.

White House aides say the packed schedule — including a long list of expected agreements on issues including technology, trade and defense — reflects India’s increasingly prominent role in global affairs and Washington’s desire to boost ties with the world’s most populous nation, in part as a bulwark against China.

Biden, Modi and Jill Biden wave from the White House balcony.

Modi, who is just the third world leader Biden has hosted for a state visit, is seeking to bolster his country’s global standing, which White House officials say could in turn benefit U.S. interests.

Modi and Biden approach Vice President Harris during the official state visit on the South Lawn of the White House.

A girl plays with U.S. and Indian flags on the South Lawn during the state visit ceremony.

The trip marks the third official state visit for any foreign leader during Biden’s presidency, following similar events for French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Modi, who addressed U.S. lawmakers in 2016, is one of only a handful of world leaders who have been invited twice to address a joint meeting of Congress.

Biden and Modi embrace during the ceremony.

During a raucous arrival ceremony Thursday morning with thousands of chanting supporters, Biden hailed Modi and touted the “limitless possibilities” of the U.S.-India relationship. “Two great nations, two great friends, two great powers that can define the course of the 21st century,” Biden said.

Modi and Biden enter the East Room of the White House for a joint news conference.

The White House press corps listen to a translation during the news conference.

Biden speaks during the news conference as Modi looks on. Despite the pomp and pageantry, the visit is not without controversy. Human rights groups, lawmakers and scholars have written open letters to the White House and published opinion pieces in top U.S. media outlets calling out the erosion of democratic principles in India on Modi’s watch.

Modi speaks during the East Room news conference. The prime minister’s visit comes at a notable time for Indian Americans. Besides Harris, the vice president, two Republican presidential candidates are also of Indian descent: former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Harris arrives for Modi's address before a joint meeting of Congress.

Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) arrives for the address. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.), left, talks to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) gives a thumbs-up before the address. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) and Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) chat. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Bera has a conversation with Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.) before the address. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

Modi greets lawmakers before delivering his remarks.

Modi shakes hands with a lawmaker.

Modi receives a standing ovation during a joint meeting of Congress.

Minh Connors/The Washington Post

Modi speaks to Congress.

A view of the House chamber.

Audience members cheer during Modi's speech.

Modi addresses Congress.

Modi waves to supporters after his speech.

Modi takes photos with members of Congress.

Biden and the first lady greet Modi as he arrives at the White House for the state dinner.

Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google parent Alphabet, and his wife, Anjali Pichai, arrive for the state dinner.

Ting Shen/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Billie Jean King, left, and her wife, Ilana Kloss, arrive at the White House.

Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Huma Abedin, right, former longtime assistant and aide to former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, arrives with her sister, Heba Abedin.

Julia Nikhinson/Reuters

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Emily Norris McCarthy. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Fashion designer Ralph Lauren and his wife, Ricky Lauren.

Pelosi and her husband, Paul Pelosi.

The Bidens and Modi walk down the Grand Staircase at the White House.

Biden listens to an interpreter as he offers a toast during the state dinner for Modi.

Susan Walsh/AP

Biden and Modi toast during the state dinner.

Biden welcomes Modi to the White House ahead of the state dinner.

Yuri Gripas/Pool/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The president and the first lady chat with Modi outside the White House.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post

The first lady shakes hands with Modi.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Denied a U.S. visa in 2005 over deadly religious riots in his home state, Modi came to Washington for a state visit that will highlight his change in fortune and growing global clout, even as concerns about human rights and democratic erosion in India are intensifying across the nation he now leads.

Evan Vucci/AP

For Biden, the visit underscores both the promise of strengthening ties with the world’s most populous nation and the peril of positioning his presidency as a pivotal force in the global battle between autocracy and democracy.

With Modi leading the world’s largest democracy while overseeing trends that human rights groups say undermine democratic principles, Biden’s decision to host a state visit risks undermining one of his key campaign messages against Donald Trump in 2020.

India is emerging as an increasingly vital player in a region the United States has prioritized in its foreign policy — a potential bulwark against China and an increasingly powerful actor in sectors including technology, defense and the arts.

The pomp and pageantry of a state visit will allow Biden and Modi to mark a moment of recognition for the Indian diaspora on the global stage, with hundreds of business leaders, policymakers, celebrities and scholars set to gather at the White House.

Praise for the relationship — and for Modi himself — has only seemed to intensify since Biden took office.

More from The Post

Modi’s White House visit tests Biden’s democracy-vs.-autocracy pitch

The latest from The Washington Post

Photo editing and production by Stephen Cook

PM Modi US Visit Highlights: PM On High-Level Visit To US Arrives In Washington

Pm modi in us: the prime minister was welcomed by senior officials of the biden administration and india's envoy to the us taranjit singh sandhu..

PM Modi US Visit: Senior Biden officials and India's Envoy welcomed PM Modi in Washington

 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who embarked on a high-level US visit on Wednesday at the invitation of President Joe Biden, is set to meet US Vice President Kamala Harris and global CEOs on the first day of his US visit today. The Prime Minister was welcomed by senior officials of the Biden administration and India's envoy to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu.

The second meeting on PM Modi's agenda will be with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. PM Modi and his Australian counterpart also spoke on the phone last week to review the progress of India- Australia Comprehensive Partnership which includes the pertinent 2+2 dialogue. PM Modi will also attend the Quad summit and address the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Joe Biden will host PM Modi at the White House tomorrow - the first in-person meeting between the two leaders after Biden took over as the US President in January this year.

Here are the Live updates of PM Modi's US visit:

वाशिंगटन पहुंचे पीएम मोदी, भारतीय अमेरिकों ने किया स्वागत pic.twitter.com/rmnBP1QwO2 - NDTV Videos (@ndtvvideos) September 23, 2021

"Grateful to the Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength. It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world," tweets PM Narendra Modi pic.twitter.com/fXRif5I0oO - ANI (@ANI) September 23, 2021

Grateful to the Indian community in Washington DC for the warm welcome. Our diaspora is our strength. It is commendable how the Indian diaspora has distinguished itself across the world. pic.twitter.com/6cw2UR2uLH - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

Landed in Washington DC. Over the next two days, will be meeting @POTUS @JoeBiden and @VP @KamalaHarris , Prime Ministers @ScottMorrisonMP and @sugawitter . Will attend the Quad meeting and would also interact with leading CEOs to highlight economic opportunities in India. pic.twitter.com/56pt7hnQZ8 - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

Exuberant members of the Indian diaspora welcoming PM @narendramodi upon landing in Washington D.C. pic.twitter.com/cqELcYtMnN - Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 22, 2021

US: PM Narendra Modi was received by India's Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, along with the Defence attache incl Brigadier Anoop Singhal, Air Commodore Anjan Bhadra, naval attache Commodore Nirbhaya Bapna & US Dy Secy of State for Management &Resources TH Brian McKeon pic.twitter.com/KadTmLfvkB - ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

Always a matter of pride to see our 🇮🇳 away from India. The tricolour fluttering at the Joint Base Andrews in honour of PM @narendramodi . pic.twitter.com/qJSgpsdmcB - Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 22, 2021

Namaste USA! PM @narendramodi was greeted on arrival by Shri Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Ambassador of India to USA and Mr. T. H. Brian McKeon, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. pic.twitter.com/0sVCrP5Miu - Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 22, 2021

US: Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets people who were waiting to welcome him at Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC pic.twitter.com/YkAWQSPCI3 - ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

#WATCH | Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the airport at Andrews Airbase, United States pic.twitter.com/K2fJotDCfX - ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

#WATCH | United States: People hold the Indian National flag as they cheer & wait for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC pic.twitter.com/aBGiFbcXZS - ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

US: People hold Indian National flags amid light showers as they wait for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrive at Joint Base Andrews in Washington DC pic.twitter.com/Hdvag5LwQ3 - ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2021

A long flight also means opportunities to go through papers and some file work. pic.twitter.com/nYoSjO6gIB - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

Will also participate in the Quad with President @JoeBiden , PM @ScottMorrisonMP and PM @sugawitter . We will take stock of outcomes of Summit in March. I will also address UNGA focusing on the global challenges. https://t.co/FcuhlJbeSl - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

At the invitation of @POTUS @JoeBiden , I am visiting USA to continue our dialogue, and exchange views on areas of mutual interest. Also looking forward to meet @VP @KamalaHarris to discuss global issues and explore ideas for cooperation between 🇮🇳🇺🇸. - Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 22, 2021

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Indian PM Modi wraps up Washington trip with appeal to tech CEOs

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Reporting by Steve Holland, Simon Lewis and Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Doina Chiacu, David Brunnstrom and Kanishka Singh; Editing by Don Durfee and Grant McCool

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Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

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Statement from White   House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Official State Visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of   India

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the Republic of India for an Official State Visit to the United States, which will include a state dinner, on June 22, 2023. The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together. The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous, and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space. The leaders will discuss ways to further expand our educational exchanges and people-to-people ties, as well as our work together to confront common challenges from climate change, to workforce development and health security.

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Going Abroad, Modi Receives a Gift for Image-Building at Home

For an audience in India, the prime minister is linking his diplomatic reception abroad, and himself, to the country’s growing importance on the world stage.

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By Mujib Mashal

Reporting from New Delhi

His grip on the levers of national power secure, his hold on India’s domestic imagination cemented, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increasingly turned to advancing himself on a new horizon: the global stage.

With a packed diplomatic calendar that includes India’s hosting of the Group of 20 summit later this year, Mr. Modi is building an image going into his re-election campaign as a leader who can win respect and investment for his vast nation. The state visit accorded to Mr. Modi in Washington, which ends on Friday, is perhaps the biggest prize yet in that quest.

“It’s not just about a fairer bargain abroad,” said Ashok Malik, a former government adviser who is the India chair at the Asia Group, a consulting firm. “It’s also that ‘my investments in key foreign policy relations are actually helping to build the Indian economy and therefore create opportunities for Indians at home and strengthen India overall.’”

At home, Mr. Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has continued to sideline institutions that were once important checks on the government. It has persisted in its vilification of the country’s 200 million Muslims, even as Mr. Modi used an exceedingly rare news conference in Washington to claim that there was no discrimination against anyone in India.

But abroad, world leaders eager to court an ascendant India have offered little pushback . And often, they have given Mr. Modi invaluable fodder for an information campaign that shapes perceptions of him among many Indian voters who are ecstatic to see their country’s importance affirmed.

When Mr. Modi traveled to Australia last month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese referred to him as “the boss” in front of an arena in Sydney packed with about 20,000 people. Mr. Modi then returned to New Delhi to a large crowd gathered for his welcome at 6 in the morning, telling supporters that the grand welcome for him abroad was about India, not him.

On Friday, as Mr. Modi was wrapping up his meetings in the United States before arriving in Egypt for another grand greeting, his political party and the large sections of the broadcast media friendly to him reveled in the reception he had gotten from President Biden and other American leaders.

The red carpet in Washington played perfectly into one of Mr. Modi’s talents: He can build a media campaign out of virtually anything, projecting himself as the only leader who can expand India’s economy and usher a nation coming into its own to new heights.

While opposition leaders back home were holding their largest gathering yet, hoping to find a formula for uniting to challenge the prime minister in elections early next year, Mr. Modi was reaching for the world.

Social media was flooded with montage videos, set to regal background music, of Mr. Modi making a grand entrance into the House of Representatives for his address to a joint session of Congress. The speech, after which several lawmakers sought Mr. Modi’s autograph, made him one of only a very small number of world leaders to have addressed that body twice.

Another video online kept count of the number of times Mr. Modi received applause or standing ovations during his speech. A third cut to dramatic images of Mr. Modi contrasting him with the dynastic leaders who came before him, advancing a constant narrative that he represents a subversion of the old elite that long ruled India.

“History tells us that powerful people come from powerful places. History was wrong,” a deep voice intones in the video. “Powerful people make places powerful.”

Mr. Modi’s next major opportunity to appear as a global statesman will come in September when India welcomes the Group of 20 leaders, a summit meeting he has framed to his support base as his bringing the world to India.

His government has turned promotion for the meeting into a roadshow, hosting hundreds of G20 events, so many that foreign diplomats in New Delhi quietly complain about travel fatigue. Cities and towns across India are decked out with billboards bearing the G20 logo — which cleverly incorporates the lotus, a symbol both of India and his Bharatiya Janata Party — and pictures of Mr. Modi.

In promoting the G20 presidency, Mr. Modi has taken to frequently describing India, the world’s most populous nation, as the “mother of democracy.” Abroad, however, he has pursued a transactional brand of diplomacy built not on practicing democratic values, but on what best serves Indian economic and security interests, and what elevates India in the world.

The image of “a rising India, a new India being seen more seriously abroad” helps Mr. Modi politically, Mr. Malik said. But Mr. Modi is also investing heavily in U.S. relations with an eye toward how they could help an Indian economy that is struggling to create enough jobs for its huge young population and that must put up a fight against an aggressive China next door.

“Addressing China is not just about soldiers and weapons at the border, it’s also about building economic alternatives to what China offers,” Mr. Malik said.

The list of agreements between the United States and India, announced at the end of a bilateral meeting at the White House, was long, covering defense, space and a wide range of technological cooperation.

Defense cooperation, in particular — including deals on Indian manufacturing of General Electric jet engines and purchasing Predator military drones — received a major boost after what had been a history of reluctance and bureaucratic hurdles on both sides.

Dr. Tara Kartha, a former senior official in India’s security council who dealt with U.S. on defense, said the agreement on aircraft engines was “an affirmation of trust” that would help the military partnership beyond the smaller steps of the past two decades.

“Each country is trying to get past its bureaucratic constrains,” she said. “Until the bureaucracy can catch up, there will be frustrations.”

Among ordinary Indians on the streets of New Delhi, opinions of Mr. Modi’s diplomatic efforts were divided.

Vijay Yadav, a 26-year-old taxi driver, said Mr. Modi’s outreach abroad could not cover for how India’s economy was struggling to create enough jobs.

“I saw on Instagram a news feed which was constantly touting Mr. Modi’s trip to America as if no other Indian leader had been there before,” he said. “Firstly, he must get down to solving the problems of his own countrymen before he goes abroad to project himself as a hero.”

Nidhi Garg, 41, who has inherited a vegetable and fruit shop from her father, said her heart swelled each time she saw Mr. Modi representing India abroad.

“Today, wherever you see, the name of our nation is being taken,” she said. “The first thing that comes to anyone’s mind when they mention the word India, they immediately connect it to Prime Minister Modi.”

Suhasini Raj contributed reporting.

Mujib Mashal is The Times’s bureau chief for South Asia. Born in Kabul, he wrote for magazines including The Atlantic, Harper’s and Time before joining The Times. More about Mujib Mashal

Here's why Democrats and Republicans welcome a visit from right-wing Indian PM Narendra Modi

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and congressional leaders will roll out the red carpet for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, as the right-wing Hindu nationalist leader arrives for an official state visit to the United States.

Modi will address a joint session of Congress and will be feted at a White House state dinner — a diplomatic honor usually reserved for close allies. On Sunday, many Indian Americans took to the streets in major cities across the country for an "India Unity Day" march to welcome Modi to the U.S.

The marches, organized by the American overseas arm of Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party, were a show of support for the controversial Indian leader who has faced criticism for presiding over human rights violations, an erosion of the country's democracy, and a crackdown in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

That Democrats and Republicans alike are honoring Modi this week demonstrates the White House and Congress are willing to overlook his right-wing populist agenda in the pursuit of a strategically important relationship that will allow the U.S. to counter China's influence .

Why the U.S. relationship with India is 'strategically important'

Meanwhile, Modi's political allies in Washington stepped up their lobbying efforts with members of Congress and the Biden administration ahead of his official state visit this week.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

Sanjay Puri, the chairman and founder of the bipartisan U.S.-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), said that in their lobbying efforts, the group has sought to underscore that India is "the only democracy in that region" and emphasize that the rise of China resulted in the U.S.-India partnership becoming a "strategically important relationship."

"That's been our push," Puri said of the group's discussions with lawmakers ahead of Modi's visit. "It has resulted in, obviously, the [congressional] leadership asking him to come in and speak and also President Biden inviting him for a state dinner as well as several other activities around that."

In addition to combatting American criticism of the Indian government's human rights record, the welcome marches likely also sought to enhance Modi's political image at home ahead of a general election next year, according to Gautam Nair, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

"This visit actually should buttress his domestic political standing," Nair, who was born and raised in India, said. "And these rallies sort of suggest, or help foster an image, that he is an international leader of stature as well."

Mukesh Aghi, president of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said the "the Indian diaspora is quite excited about what Modi is doing, excited about the direction of the country, and feel proud of their heritage."

Countering China

Modi's visit also comes just days after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with senior Chinese officials in Beijing over the weekend, a bid to improve relations between the two superpowers after months of heightened tensions. Washington has increasingly looked to forge closer ties with New Delhi to counter China's rising political and economic influence.

Nair said he believes the rationale for giving Modi the star treatment during his visit to the United States is "quite clear."

"This extra effort is because traditionally India has been wary of forging formal alliances with great powers," Nair said. "This is reflected in the fact that on the one hand, defense ties, diplomatic ties, economic ties are deepening with the United States, and at the same time China is a huge trading partner for India."

Aghi said he expects Modi's visit to yield a deal that will allow General Electric to manufacture jet engines in India for the country's military aircrafts, in addition to fostering discussions on healthcare and artificial intelligence between the two countries.

"I think what we're seeing is a much more deeper collaboration on technology, investments, and defense," Aghi said.

How this U.S.-India partnership could be one of the most significant in a century

Rep. Ro Khanna , D-Calif., who serves as a co-chair of the U.S.-India congressional caucus, told USA TODAY he believes the "U.S.-India partnership will be one of the most significant of this century."

"We will be working to strengthen the technology and defense relationship and to promote scientific research and cooperation on climate change initiatives," Khanna said.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley , a 2024 Republican presidential candidate and the daughter of Indian immigrants, said she also welcomed the decision to invite Modi for an official state visit.

"India is a critically important country in the Indo-Pacific region and a natural ally of America with so many shared values and interests," Haley told USA TODAY. "It is entirely appropriate that Prime Minister Modi should address Congress and be celebrated at the White House."

Biden and American political leaders, however, have faced criticism for giving Modi the official state visit treatment without putting a stronger focus on the rollback of press freedoms in India and his government's treatment of minority Muslims and Christians.

"The relationship must be grounded on a respect for pluralism, an open internet, human rights and liberal democracy," Khanna said.

Why it matters: Secretary Blinken visits Beijing as tensions grow between U.S. and China

What to expect from Modi’s historic visit to the US

Modi will hold bilateral talks with Biden and address a joint session of Congress, followed by a lavish dinner reception at the White House. The US and India have long enjoyed warm relations, but this visit is particularly momentous.   

• By Sushmita Pathak

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden wave from the Blue Room Balcony during a State Arrival Ceremony at the White House in Washington, June 22, 2023. 

The lawns of the United Nations headquarters in New York were dotted with yellow yoga mats as hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday morning to stretch together. Among them was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — leading International Yoga Day celebrations as part of his three-day trip to the United States. 

The Indian leader has visited the US several times since taking office in 2014. But this trip is a rare state visit — the highest diplomatic honor for a foreign leader. President Joe Biden has only invited two other leaders — French and South Korean — for such visits, and Modi is only the third Indian leader to receive such an invitation.

On Thursday, Modi will hold bilateral talks with Biden and address a joint session of Congress, followed by a lavish dinner reception at the White House. The US and India have long enjoyed warm relations, but this visit is particularly momentous.   

“Every once a decade or thereabouts, you have a visit that really moves the ball forward,” said Richard Rossow, chair of the US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “And it feels like both governments are talking about this visit as kind of along those lines.”

Despite Delhi and Washington not seeing eye to eye on some key issues, the Biden administration has bestowed Modi with the honor, even as human rights groups raise concerns about Modi’s allegedly anti-Muslim policies back home.

In India, Modi supporters see the visit as a moment of pride. One pro-government news channel used the hashtag #ModiMagicInAmerica with its anchor Arnab Goswami saying that the US had more at stake than India. 

“It is just one more telling statement, ladies and gentlemen, of how India’s place in the world has risen in the Modi years,” Goswami declared during his news segment. 

The US and India have had strong people-to-people ties for years, with a large and influential Indian-American diaspora. Trade between the two countries has also been flourishing for decades. But Modi’s visit this week could see the two nations join hands to strengthen another pillar of their partnership. 

“There will be a great deal of focus on defense and security cooperation, as well as technology cooperation,” said Lisa Curtis, director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. “The US is setting the stage for an announcement that it will co-produce jet-engine technology with India, which is a huge deal. Only a handful of countries have this kind of technology capabilities.”

India is also close to signing a deal to buy MQ-9B armed surveillance drones from the US. Earlier this month, the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, met India’s defense minister, Rajnath Singh, in Delhi to set up a road map for defense industry cooperation.

While the US wants to help India enhance its military capabilities, Curtis said, “Part of the goal here is to wean India away from its dependence on Russian military technology.”

About half of India’s weapons imports come from Russia. This defense partnership is the cornerstone of the close ties between Delhi and Moscow, which date back to the Cold War. It’s also why India has not condemned Russia for invading Ukraine. While the US isn’t particularly happy about this, Curtis said it has largely accepted it.

“India is too important for the United States over the longer term, and so, there is a willingness to set aside the US-India differences over Russia,” Curtis said.

On the Indian side, there has been a “sea change” in the outlook towards the US, said Rajan Menon, director of the Grand Strategy Program at the Washington-based think tank Defense Priorities. 

In the 1970s, relations between the two were “frosty,” Curtis said. During the India-Pakistan war of 1971, Washington sided with Islamabad as Delhi turned to Moscow. But over the past two decades, and under Republican and Democratic administrations, the US has warmed up to India. In recent years, the two nations have also been pushed toward each other by another Asian giant. 

“China is playing matchmaker here,” Rossow said.

Tensions between the US and China have been at a historic low. Meanwhile, India and China are engaged in a standoff over their disputed border in the Himalayas, where fighting breaks out sporadically. Besides security concerns, Rossow said, Biden and Modi will also discuss cooperation in strategic commercial sectors to keep China’s rise in check.

“Areas that are important for global growth and technology evolution, and those areas where China has a market moving position, so critical minerals and rare earth, 5G and 6G, undersea cables, artificial intelligence, quantum, even commercial space exploration,” Rossow said. “Can we break China’s stranglehold and their ability to use these things as commercial threats against other countries?”

Menon said that this is a “new chapter” in US-India relations and one that is “largely China-driven.” And while India is welcoming deeper ties with the US, it is also careful not to upset other nations.

“India’s government will have to balance how it handles the relationship with the US with its long-standing relationship with Russia,” Menon said. “It doesn’t want to alienate both China and Russia simultaneously. So, there’s a kind of a delicate dance going on.”

In India, Modi’s visit is being seen as proof that Delhi has played its balancing act between Washington and Moscow well.

As the White House prepares to welcome Modi for a state banquet, human rights groups are protesting against his visit, saying his policies back home target religious minorities. Modi was once denied a US visa for his alleged role in anti-Muslim riots in 2002.

“[The US] talks a good game on the human rights front, and sometimes, we’re sincere, but when it comes to concrete interests, we’re perfectly willing to put them to the side,” Menon said. 

Rossow said that the Biden administration will raise human rights concerns with Modi, but in private. 

“They’re not going to want to tip over the applecart by pushing too hard,” he said, because the broader relationship with India is too important.

In 2006, then-Sen. Biden laid out a grand vision for US-India relations. 

“My dream is that in 2020, the two closest nations in the world will be India and the United States. If that occurs, the world will be safer,” he  said then . 

“I don’t think we’re quite there; it is more aspirational right now,” Curtis said. 

India and the US are not allies and probably never will be, she said. But they are strategic partners with mutual interests that span several areas. Related:   Amid war in Ukraine, India maintains ‘strategic partnership’ with Russia

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What prime minister modi's us visit itinerary looks like: biden, harris and cook feature.

This is set to be Modi's first visit to America since 2019, when he attended the 'Howdy Modi'​​​​​​​​ event in Houston, with then President Donald Trump.

• September 22 : Prime Minister Modi is likely to attend a COVID-19 summit
• September 23 : Bilateral meets with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Modi is also set to meet executives of American companies, including Apple head honcho, Tim Cook, all of which will precede a gala dinner - hosted by President Joe Biden - where he is likely to meet Vice President Kamala Harris as well.
• September 24 : Bilateral meeting with President Joe Biden - expected to focus on trade, investment, defence and security - as well as a meeting with the QUAD - consisting of India, America, Japan and Australia.
• September 25 : Prime Minister Modi will then travel to New York, from Washington , to attend the United Nations General Assembly. He will also address the assembly.

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Pm’s visit to bhutan (mar 22, 2024 - mar 23, 2024 ), pm’s visit to uae & qatar (feb 13, 2024 - feb 15, 2024 ), pm’s visit to dubai (nov 30, 2023 - dec 01, 2023 ), pm’s visit to indonesia (sep 06, 2023 - sep 07, 2023 ), pm’s visit to south africa & greece (aug 22, 2023 - aug 26, 2023 ), pm’s visit to france & uae (jul 13, 2023 - jul 15, 2023 ), pm’s visit to usa & egypt (jun 20, 2023 - jun 25, 2023 ), pm’s visit to japan, papua new guinea & australia (may 19, 2023 - may 25, 2023 ), pm’s visit to indonesia (nov 14, 2022 - nov 16, 2022 ), pm’s visit to japan (sep 27, 2022 - sep 27, 2022 ).

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Millions vote in India’s grueling election, with Prime Minister Modi’s party likely to win third term

Millions of Indians voted Saturday in the next-to-last round of a grueling national election with a combined opposition trying to rattle Prime Minister  Narendra Modi’s campaign for a third-consecutive term  for himself and his Hindu nationalist party.

Many people lined polling stations before the start of voting at 7 a.m. to avoid the blazing sun at the  peak of Indian summer . The temperature soared to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon in the Indian capital.

“This (election) is also like a festival, so I don’t have a problem voting in the heat,” said Lakshmi Bansal, a housewife.

Saturday’s voting in 58 constituencies, including seven in New Delhi, will complete polling for 89.5% of 543 seats in the lower house of Parliament. The remaining 57 seats will be decided on June 1,  wrapping up a six-week election . The votes will be counted on June 4.

President Droupadi Murmu and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were among the early voters. Opposition Congress party leaders, Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi, also voted in New Delhi.

Mehbooba Mufti, a former top elected official of Indian-controlled Kashmir, held a protest with her supporters Saturday claiming that scores of her party workers were detained by police to prevent them from voting. Mufti, the chief of the People’s Democratic Party who is contesting the parliamentary election in the Anantnag-Rajouri district, said she complained to election officials.

In West Bengal state, workers belonging to the All India Trinamool Congress party blocked the car of Agnimitra Paul, one of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party candidates, as she proceeded to vote in the Medinipur constituency. The two parties are rivals in the state and their activists often clash on the streets.

Trinamool leader and state’s top elected official Mamta Banerjee accused the BJP of launching an attack that left one activist dead on Friday in the Purba Medinipur district. Several houses and shops were burned in the area, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Banerjee as saying.

Suvendu Adhikari, a BJP leader in the state, accused Trinamool members of attacking and killing an activist on Thursday, an accusation rejected by his rivals, PTI reported.

The election is considered one of the most consequential in India’s history and will test Modi’s political dominance. If Modi wins, he’ll be only the second Indian leader to retain power for a third term, after Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister.

Most polls predict a win for the BJP, which is up against a broad opposition alliance led by the Congress and  powerful regional parties . But a less-than-expected turnout in the previous five rounds of voting has left some doubts about the BJP’s projected margin of victory.

“When the polls began it felt like a one-horse race, with Modi leading from the front. But now we are seeing some kind of shift,” political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said. “The opposition is doing better than expected and it appears that Modi’s party is rattled. That’s the reason you see  Modi ramping up anti-Muslim rhetoric  to polarize voters.”

Kidwai said the opposition had challenged Modi by centering its campaign narrative on social justice and rising unemployment, making the contest closer than expected.

Modi ran his campaign like a presidential race, a referendum on his 10 years of rule. He claimed to help the poorest with charity, free health care, providing toilets in their homes, and helping women get free or cheap cooking gas cylinders.

But he changed tack after a poor turnout in the  first round of the election  and began stirring Hindu nationalism by accusing the Congress party of pandering to minority Muslims for votes.

Hindus account for 80%, and Muslims nearly 14%, of India’s over 1.4 billion people.

Manish Bhatia, a New Delhi voter, said that “politics on the basis of caste and religion is dangerous for the country,” adding that voting should be based on how candidates perform.

Nearly 970 million voters — more than 10% of the world’s population — were eligible to elect 543 members to the lower house of Parliament for five years.

Voters’ relative apathy has surprised some analysts. In the five rounds of polling, turnout ranged between 62.2% to 69.16% — averaging 65.9%. By comparison, India’s 2019 national election registered the highest-ever turnout — 67.11%. Modi’s BJP won 303 seats in Parliament in 2019.

Modi’s  inauguration of a massive Hindu temple  for the god Rama, his massive roadshows and big public rallies raised the BJP’s hopes of a massive surge in voters’ support.

The current prime minister came to power in 2014, dislodging the Congress party that governed the country for nearly 55 years after India won independence from British colonialists in 1947.

Before the election, the  opposition INDIA alliance  was seen bickering, but it has since held together, particularly after two chief ministers of two opposition-controlled states were sent to jail on corruption charges. Both deny the accusations.

One of them — New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal — has since been released on bail and returned to the campaign trail.

In March, Gandhi completed a 6,713-kilometer (4,171-mile)  walk across the country , starting in the violence-hit northeastern state of Manipur, to raise awareness on issues of poverty, unemployment, and democracy with voters.

“The walk helped Gandhi boost his image as a serious politician among the voters, and that is helping the opposition,” Kidwai, the analyst, said.

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PM Modi lands in Lahore on a surprise visit, meets Pak PM Nawaz Sharif

Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome as pm's special iaf boeing 737 plane made a smooth touchdown at 4.20 local time(4.50 ist)..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Lahore on Friday for a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif in a surprise visit to this country -the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years. Modi was received by Sharif with a warm hug at the tarmac of Allama Iqbal International Airport after his unexpected stopover here on his way back home after a day-long trip today to Afghanistan where he went after concluding a two-day visit to Russia on Thursday.

Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome as PM’s special IAF Boeing 737 plane made a smooth touchdown at 4.20 local time(4.50 IST). He then took a chopper to proceed to Sharif’s Raiwind palatial residence in the outskirts of Lahore.

ALSO READ:  Highlights: PM Modi arrives in Delhi after Lahore visit, Pak welcomes India’s initiative

“Looking forward to meeting PM Nawaz Sharif in Lahore today afternoon, where I will drop by on my way back to Delhi,” tweeted Modi, who was on his first to Pakistan, as he wound up his visit to Afghanistan.

“Spoke to PM Nawaz Sharif & wished him on his birthday,” Modi added in another tweet. Sharif turned 66 today. The visit came more than two weeks after Modi and Sharif had an unscheduled meeting at climate change talks in Paris. The agenda of the meeting is not known but the two leaders are expected to discuss major issues which have rocked ties between the two countries.

ALSO READ:  Pakistan hails PM’s gesture, says it is ‘purely a goodwill visit’

The relations between India and Pakistan have witnessed some positive developments after chill for several months. The two countries recently decided to launch a comprehensive dialogue after Modi-Sharif meet in Paris. “That’s like a statesman,” External Affairs Minister  Sushma Swaraj tweeted about the surprise visit by Modi. “One should have such relations with the neighbours,” she added.

ALSO READ:  PM Narendra Modi has taken a “courageous” step: Sudheendra Kulkarni

The last visit to Pakistan by an Indian prime minister was in 2004 by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, whose 91st birthday fell today and who is credited with bringing about a thaw in relations with Islamabad. Pakistani authorities put security on high alert in Lahore especially around the airport area following the announcement of Modi’s brief visit to the eastern city.

A heavy contingent of police and Pakistan Rangers have reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport and taken charge of the security. “Security in Lahore has been put on high alert,” a senior police official told PTI. He said police have also been deployed on the adjoining areas of the airport.

ALSO READ:  Separatists welcome Modi’s surprise visit to Lahore

A PM House spokesman here said the Indian premier would stay in Lahore for about two hours. A PML-N source told PTI that Sharif had invited Modi to attend the marriage of his granddaughter Mehrun Nisa which is taking place today at the Sharif’s Raiwind palatial residence.

“I cannot confirm but there are chances that Modi goes to Raiwind and holds meeting with PM Sharif at his residence,” he said. “Welcome to Pakistan @narendramodi. Constant engagement is the only way to resolve all outstanding issues,” Opposition PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted. Amid reports that Modi’s visit was planned only today, Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said, “Yes, we have been informed by the Indian High Commission that PM Narendra Modi would stop over in Lahore to meet our PM today. Details are being worked out.”

The National Security Advisers of India and Pakistan met on December six in Bangkok. The development surprised many and it was announced with a joint press release only after the meeting was over. India’s Ministry of External Affairs at the time said the advisers discussed “peace and security, terrorism, Jammu and Kashmir, and other issues, including tranquility along the LoC (Line of Control).”

India and Pakistan broke the logjam in their ties and announced during Swaraj’s visit to Islamabad a couple of days after the meet of their NSAs that they have decided to engage in a “comprehensive” dialogue that will include peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir.

Foreign Secretaries of the two countries are also likely to meet in Islamabad next month.

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Mysuru Hotel Where PM Modi Stayed During His 2023 Karnataka Visit Threatens Legal Action For Unpaid Bills Amounting ₹80 Lakh

A Mysuru hotel, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi stayed during his visit to the city in April last year, has threatened legal action as bills amounting to over Rs 80 lakh have yet to be cleared by the State Forest Department.

According to a report by The Hindu, PM Modi stayed at the Radisson Blu Plaza hotel during his visit to Mysuru in April 2023. He was in the city to inaugurate the 50 years of Project Tiger event, organized by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF).

100% Central assistance

As per the report, the State Forest Department was instructed to conduct the event from April 9 to 11. The budget for the event was initially set at Rs 3 crore, with the State Forest Department assured of 100% Central assistance.

However, due to the event being organised at short notice, the actual cost doubled the initial estimate.

Following the conclusion of the event, the Centre released Rs 3 crore, but the remaining balance of Rs 3.3 crore is yet to be released.

Despite multiple reminders from the State Forest Department to the MoEF regarding the pending dues, the funds have yet to be released.

According to reports, the original estimated cost of the event was Rs 3 crore. However, based on instructions from NTCA officials and the requirements of the Prime Minister’s program, additional activities were incorporated. Consequently, the event management company handling the program revised their quotation, which was then circulated to all officials during a videoconference.

Center directs State to clear the dues

In October of last year, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) of Karnataka wrote to the Deputy Inspector-General of NTCA, reminding him of outstanding dues. NTCA responded, stating that expenses incurred during the Prime Minister's entourage's stay at Radisson Blu Plaza in Mysuru should be reimbursed by the State government.

Another letter was sent from the State Forest Department in March of this year, reminding NTCA of the outstanding dues, including the non-clearance of hotel bills amounting to Rs 80.6 lakh for the Prime Minister’s stay at Radisson Blu Plaza. However, there has been no response to date.

Hotel threatens legal action

Meanwhile, the General Manager of Finance at Radisson Blu Plaza wrote to the Deputy Conservator of Forests Basavaraju on May 21, reminding him of the unpaid bills “even 12 months after the utilisation of our hotel services”.

It further stated that a delayed payment interest of 18% per annum would be applicable to the outstanding dues, with an additional sum of Rs 12.09 lakh for the delayed payment, to be included when payment is made.

The hotel management has threatened legal action if the dues are not settled by June 1, 2024.