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India’s Modi invited to deliver ‘historic’ address to Congress this month

by Sarakshi Rai - 06/02/23 10:46 AM ET

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at the inauguration of the revamped Central Vista Avenue at the India Gate in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Modi urged the country to shed its colonial ties in a ceremony to rename Rajpath, a boulevard that was once called Kingsway after King George V, Modi called it a “symbol of slavery” under the British Raj.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited to address a joint session of Congress during his June 22 visit to Washington.

Modi, who will be in the U.S. on an official state visit, received the invite from the bipartisan leadership of the House and the Senate.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif) said in the invitation that the foreign leader will have a chance to share his “vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges both our countries face.”

The invite was also signed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

This comes a week after the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), wrote to McCarthy urging him to extend the invite to the Indian leader.

If Modi accepts, this will be the prime minister’s second address to the joint session of Congress. His first was in 2016.

“Our relationship is primed for a momentous future,” Modi said at the time. “The constraints of the past are behind us, and foundations of the future are firmly in place.”

Modi’s visit to the U.S. comes as his government has been criticized for the treatment of religious minorities and the weakening of press freedoms in the country.

The State Department’s annual Religious Freedom Report also highlighted “continued, targeted attacks against religious communities” in the country that promote “hate-fueled violence.”

The Indian leader will also meet with President Biden while in the U.S. for a state visit and state dinner this month. Biden is hoping to forge stronger ties with India as the United States looks to counter China’s growing influence in the region.