WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump will join Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a massive gathering of Indian-Americans in Houston, the White House said on Sunday , in a symbolic show of the bond between the two leaders and countries.
The gathering is"a great opportunity to emphasise the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship," the White House said. The rally with Modi indicates that the two countries have turned the page on an incident in July when Trump baffled India by saying, in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, that Modi had sought mediation on Kashmir, a flashpoint for conflict between the nuclear-armed powers.
But organisers hope to keep the Sept 22 rally non-partisan, with a cultural performance planned and invited speakers including Steny Hoyer, the No.2 Democrat in the House of Representatives. "The event will also reflect the strong bipartisan support there has been for US-India relations," he said, describing Indian-Americans as an"organic bridge" between the world's two largest democracies.
The average Indian-American household earned some US$100,000 in 2015, nearly double the US average, according to the Pew Research Centre.