- Friday, February 28, 2025
The Indian prime minister, who was making his second address to the US Congress after 2016, touched upon a number of issues, ranging from economy, women, democracy to Ukraine and terrorism.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister on Thursday (22) gave a speech to a joint session of the US Congress that went for almost an hour and he touched upon a variety of issues in his address. The leader’s words were applauded and the lawmakers greeted them with a number of standing ovations. Among them was US vice president Kamala Harris.
It was Modi’s second address to the US Congress after 2016 but his speech this time was longer than the last which was about 45 minutes. He is the first Indian leader and only a few in the world such as Sir Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela to address the US Congress more than once.
Your warm welcome is highly appreciated @SpeakerMcCarthy. Eager to enhance our bilateral cooperation, fostering an even stronger bond between our countries. https://t.co/qq7ItEpaUS
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 23, 2023
Here are some key takeaways from the speech:
Hailing the Indian diaspora in US
Modi reached out to the Indian diaspora in his address while conveying to America’s political class the value they bring to the country.
“The Foundation of America was inspired by the vision of a nation of equal people throughout your history, you embrace people from around the world and you have made them equal partners in the American Dream..there are millions here who have roots in India. Some of them sit proudly in this chamber. And there is one behind me who made history,” he said, referring to the Indian-origin Harris who sat behind him.
“I’m told that the Samosa caucus is now the flavor of the house. I hope it grows and brings the diversity of Indian cuisine,” he said.
The prime minister also conveyed to the US’s political class that there could be differences within but countries’ political class should speak in one voice, keeping the nation’s interests before everything else.
“I can relate to the battles of pressure, persuasion and policy. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. But I’m delighted to see you come together today to celebrate the bond between the world’s two great democracies. India and the United States,” he said.
Giving a shoutout to democracy:
Modi spoke about dwelling on the values of democracy saying, “Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. It has evolved over a long time and taken various forms of systems. Throughout history, however, one thing has been clear: democracy is the spirit that supports equality and dignity. Democracy is the idea that welcomes debate and discourse, democracy is a culture that gives wings to thoughts and expression. India has been blessed to have such values since times immemorial. In the evolution of the democratic spirit, India is the mother of democracy.”
“Together we shall give a better future to the world and a better world to the future,” he added.
Speaking on freedom from foreign rule:
The prime minister stressed on the journey of independent India that completed 75 years last year.
He said, “Last year, India celebrated 75 years of independence..We celebrated a remarkable journey of over 75 years of freedom after 1000 years of foreign rule in one form or another. This was not just a celebration of democracy, but also of diversity, not just of our constitution, but also a spirit of our social empowerment, not just of our competitiveness, and cooperative federalism, but also of our essential unity and integrity.”
Showcasing India’s diversity:
Highlighting India’s diversity, the prime minister said the country speaks in one voice despite its massive diversity. “We are home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them diversity is a natural way of life,” he said. Modi added that the world wants to know more about India today and he could see that curiosity in the chamber where he was delivering his speech.
“Today, the world wants to know more and more about India. I see that curiosity in this house to be honoured to receive over 100 members of the US Congress in India over the last decade. Everyone wants to understand India’s development, democracy and diversity. Everyone wants to know what India is doing,” he said.
Speaking about economic opportunity:
Modi spoke about the magnitude and scale of the Indian economy and scale and the opportunities that the country offered.
“When I first visited the US as the Prime Minister, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Today India is the fifth largest economy. And India will be the third largest economy soon. We are not only growing bigger but we are also growing faster when India grows, the whole world grows,” he said.
Stressing on women’s empowerment:
Modi spoke about the empowerment of women in modern India and said they were leading the country to a better future.
“Today women serve our country in the Army, Navy and Air Force. India also had the highest percentage of women airline pilots in the world and they have also put us on Mars by leading our Mars vision. I believe that investing in a girl child lifts the entire family, empowering women to transform the nation”, he said.
Applauding youth
Modi said India’s youth are leading its tech revolution and making the country the hub of technology. “If you visit India, you will see everyone is using phones for payments including street vendors. Last year, out of every 100 Real Time digital payments in the world, 46 happened in India.”
Caring for environment
Modi spoke about environment and said India respects environment and is the only nation to meet its Paris
“Earth is our mother and we are her children. In Indian culture, we deeply respect the environment”, he said, adding India became the only G20 country to meet its Paris Agreement commitments. “Every individual can make a positive impact. Making sustainability a mass movement…Our vision is pro-planet progress, Our vision is pro-planet prosperity Our vision is pro-planet people,” Modi said.
Where US stands in India’s scheme of things
Stressing on the importance that India and the US have for each other, Modi called for working together in areas such as space, semiconductors, farming, energy, education, artificial intelligence, healthcare and humanitarian efforts.
“When I speak about India’s approach to the world, the United States occupies a special place. I know our relations are of great importance to all of you. Every member of this Congress has a deep interest in it. When defence and aerospace in India grow, industries in the state of Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Pennsylvania thrive.” Modi said.
“When American companies grow, their research and development centres in India thrive. When Indians fly more, a single order of aircraft creates more than a million jobs in 44 states in America,” he added.
“When American phone makers invest in India, it creates an entire ecosystem of jobs and opportunities in both countries. When India and the US work together on semiconductors and critical minerals, it helps in making supply chains more diverse, resilient and reliable,” he said.
Speaking on Ukraine conflict
Modi also touched upon the issue of Ukraine war and recalled his words uttered to Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Uzbekistan last September that this is not an era of war. “I have said directly and publicly, this is not an era of war but it is one of dialogue and diplomacy and we all must do what we can to stop the bloodshed and human suffering,” the prime minister said, adding that the war has affected countries of Global South.
Taking on China and slamming terrorism
Taking a dig at China and India’s partnership with the US in the Indo Pacific, Modi said, “The dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo Pacific. 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… A region where all nations small and large are free and fearless in their choices. Their progress is not suffocated by impossible burdens of debt, where connectivity is not leveraged for strategic purposes,” he said.
He also launched a veiled attack on Pakistan saying there can be “no ifs or buts” when it comes to dealing with terror and sought against state sponsors of the menace.
More than two decades after 9/11 and more than a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, terrorism and radicalism continue to be pressing dangers for the entire world, he added.
“These ideologies keep taking new identities and forms, but their intentions are the same. Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it. We must overcome all such forces sponsoring and exporting terror,” the prime minister said.
