Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Addressing a joint session of the US Congress for a second time since he came to power in India in 2014, and amid at least 15 applauses, standing ovations, and lawmakers lining up for his autograph after the event, visiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the US-India partnership is a defining moment in the 21st century.
PM Modi, who received a rousing welcome as he delivered his speech to the Congress, said the two largest democracies shared a lot between them.
“Now, when our era is at a crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century,” he told lawmakers, drawing applause in the House chamber. “I can relate to the battles of passion, persuasion, and policy. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. But I am delighted to see you come together today to celebrate the bond between the world’s two great democracies: India and the United States.
“I agree with President Biden that this is a defining partnership of this century,” he said. “Because it serves a larger purpose. Democracy, demography, and destiny give us that purpose.”
Despite opposition to his visit by some, the Biden administration and leaders of both major parties turned out unified in their belief that India is a vital ally for Washington’s top foreign policy goal — containing the rise of China — and a partner on defense, technology, and energy.
“The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo-Pacific,” he told the Congress. “The stability of the region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership. We share a vision of a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.
“Now, the United States has become one of our most important defense partners,” he said to a standing ovation from lawmakers.
“Today,” Modi said, “we stand at a new dawn in our relationship that will not only shape the destiny of our two nations but also that of the world.”
PM Modi also alluded to the millions of Americans of Indian origin, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who sat on the dais with him alongside House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Others in attendance were Indian American members of Congress, including the Progressive Caucus chair Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Raja Krishnamoorthi, the ranking member of the House’s select committee on China.
Before the PM’s speech, Mark Warner and John Cornyn, the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus, introduced a bill to add India to the list of favored nations for US arms sales under the Arms Export Control Act, alongside NATO members and Australia, Japan, Israel, New Zealand, and South Korea.
Part of their goal is to cultivate closer US-India ties that would help New Delhi break its dependence on Moscow for military equipment. The senators hope to add it to the annual defense authorization bill.
“We need to continue to encourage India to align itself with the democracies in the world and not the autocracies,” Cornyn said. “And obviously, history is a big influence here, because since — what, 1947? — the United States has been more aligned with Pakistan, and India was then forced into the arms of Russia. And obviously, they’re very dependent, still, on Russian weapons.”
Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden and ranking member Mike Crapo called on President Biden to “prioritize the elimination of India’s significant barriers to US trade and investment on the Indian subcontinent.”