By Reena Bhardwaj
Washington DC [US], June 19 : Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to the United States this week, Indian Americans in Washington held the Unity march to extend a warm welcome to the PM.
PM Modi is set to visit the US from June 20-24, his first state trip to the country, at the invitation of President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. The US president and the First Lady will also host PM Modi at a state dinner on June 22.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will address the Joint Sitting of the US Congress and meet a number of American politicians, prominent citizens, and noted personalities from the diaspora.
Indian Americans have organised the march in 20 major cities across the United States including New York. The community were seen chanting "Modi Modi", "Vande Mataram" and "Vande America."
Indian-American diaspora, Ramesh Anam Reddy, who was one of the participants in the unity march, said, "We are all here, the Indian diaspora in Washington DC, Maryland and all the surrounding cities, we are all here to celebrate the 'Unity Day' and the PM Modi joining American president Biden. So, this is a great event for all of us and a great moment for all of us."
"We wanted to celebrate that and wanted to make sure that everyone knows how the India and America relationships are growing and how they are helpful. I think India is making all the difference. That's the reason we are here. So many people are coming here and they want to sympathize and they wanted to even the mainstream Americans, they want to join the unity march. That's what we are here for."
Talking about the footprints in the unity march, Reddy said that there are at least 20 plus cities that are joining this unity march. In Washington, DC only, around 702,000 people are expected to join the march.
At the rally, the participants were seen dancing to the tunes of the song "Har Har Modi."
Meanwhile, another Indian American, Raj Bhansali, said, "I am here to support Prime Minister Modi. It feels great to be able to engage with our Indian community. It is a very proud moment for all of us that PM Modi will be visiting the United States."
Earlier on Saturday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised that PM Modi's state visit to the US will yield significant outcomes. Speaking to reporters, he highlighted that this visit will mark the first time an Indian Prime Minister addresses the US Congress twice.
Minister Jaishankar stressed the significance of PM Modi's address to the US Congress, noting that very few individuals have had this privilege. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, he said, "PM will be on a state visit to the US. State visit means it is the highest level in terms of honour. Only a few people have been given this honour. It is happening for the first time that an Indian PM will address the US Congress for the second time. That's why its importance is huge."
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