Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who came to the United States of America on a State Visit in June 2023, is set to return in September 2024 and address a huge gathering of the Indian diaspora.
To be held on September 22 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York state, the event is titled ‘Modi & US Progress Together’.
The venue has a capacity of 15,000, but more than 24,000 Indian Americans have signed up for the event, which is being organised by the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU).
PM Modi is also scheduled to address the high-level UN General Assembly session in New York on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.
The IACU said in a statement that registrations for the event in Uniondale, Long Island, had come through 590 community organisations — all of them had signed up as ‘Welcome Partners’ — from across the United States.
While Indian Americans from at least 42 states were expected to attend, the response had been particularly strong from the tri-state area (usually taken to be New York-New Jersey-Connecticut), it said.
“We’re committed to ensuring [that] as many people as possible can participate in this historic event,” said a key organiser of the event. “We’re going to do our best to expand seating arrangements and co-ordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritise final seat allocations to those who will confirm they expect to attend.”
The IACU said that the ‘Modi & US’ event “promises to be a significant gathering celebrating the interconnected diversity of the Indian-American community”.
Attendees and participating organisations will include a wide range of religious communities, including members of the Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities.
They would also represent a significant cross-section of India’s diverse languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and others, said the IACU.
In addition to an address by PM Modi, the event will showcase cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian Americans in business, science, entertainment, and the arts.
A not-for-profit organisation, the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) fosters understanding of and unity within the Indian-American community through cultural events and public programmes.
Previous Indian-American community events featuring PM Modi
Earlier this month, sources told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that preparations were in full swing for the community event in Long Island, coming 10 years after Modi addressed a massive community gathering at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York City in September 2014. That was just months after he had first taken charge as the Prime Minister of India and visited the city to attend the annual UN General Assembly session.
In 2019, the Indian prime minister addressed the mega community event ‘Howdy Modi’ at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, where he was joined by former President Donald Trump.
This year’s visit to the US comes just weeks before the country goes to the presidential polls in November, with a race to the top office between Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the first woman of black and Indian heritage.
The high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly will take place from September 24-30 this year. As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN on Monday, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the session in the afternoon of September 26.
The list is not final and the UN releases updated provisional lists of speakers in the weeks leading up to the session to reflect any modifications in attendance.
Modi took oath in June 2024 as the Prime Minister of India for a historic third term. He had last addressed the annual UNGA session in September 2021.
The Indian prime minister also visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the world body’s headquarters, before heading to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by President Joe Biden.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly.
Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at the UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with the action days slated for September 20-21 and the Summit scheduled for September 22-23.
World leaders will convene at the United Nations to adopt the ‘Pact for the Future’, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.
“The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” the UN said.
