VOL 12 No. 38
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FORT BEND FAIR. BALANCED. INFORMATIVE. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
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Modi-Trump summit paves way for invincible Indo-US ties By SESHADRI KUMAR They came, they spoke, and they conquered the audience. A victory lap followed the standing ovation around the arena. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump created a memorable spectacle of a lovefest between the two nations and the two leaders at the Howdy Modi event held at NRG Stadium in Houston on Sept. 22. The five-hour-long program witnessed the climax of Modi introducing President Trump, Trump delivering his 30 minute speech, followed by Modi’s inimitable oratory in Hindi. “From CEO to Commanderin-Chief, from boardroom to the Oval Office, from studios to the global stage, from politics to the economy and to security he has left a deep and lasting impact everywhere,” said Modi while introducing Trump and said every time they met, “I found the friendliness, warmth, energy of the President of the United States of America – Mr. Donald Trump. “He has been the same - warm, friendly, accessible, energetic and full of wit. I admire him for something more. His sense of leadership, a passion for America, a concern for every American, a belief in American future and a strong resolve to Make America Great Again.” “We in India have connected well with President Trump. The words of candidate Trump – Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar rang loud and clear and his celebration of Diwali in the White House lit up millions of faces with joy and appreciation. “In these years, our two nations have taken the relationship to new heights. Mr. President, this morning in Houston, you can hear the heartbeat of this great partnership in this celebration of the world’s two largest democracies.” The crowd of 50,000 erupted in euphoria when Modi said:
A section of the crowd during the Howdy Modi! summit at NRG Center in Houston on Sept.22.
and President Donald Trump
“Mr. President, you had introduced me to your family in 2017 and today I have the honor to introduce you to my family, over a billion Indians and people of Indian heritage around the globe.” When it was Trump’s turn, the crowd cheered him with the chorus “USA, USA.” “Modi is one of the greatest, most devoted and most loyal friend of America,” Trump said in his opening. Prime Minister Modi is doing an exceptional job for India and all the Indian people, he said. “It is a profoundly historic day to be joined by 50,000 of America’s incredible members of our nation’s, thriving, prosperous and hardworking Indian American community.” Trump alluded to Modi’s reelection in the historic election where more than 600 million people went to the polls. He referred to Modi’s recent milestone and wished him a “Happy Birthday,” as well. Trump also referred to the recent floods in Houston and the
victims, promising all federal help to restore, recover and rebuild. “Prime Minister Modi and I have come to Houston to celebrate everything that unites America and India, ‘our shared dreams and bright futures,’” Trump said. He also expressed his gratitude to the 4-million strong Indian Americans across the country. “You enrich our culture; you uphold our values; you uplift our communities and you are truly proud to be Americans and we are proud to have you as Americans,” Trump said. As promised during his election campaign that India would have a true and great friend in the White House, Trump said “You never had a better friend as president than President Donald Trump.” The relationship between India and the U.S. has been stronger than ever before and ties between our two nations are grounded in our common values and shared dreams of
a council member who was duly scheduled to become the next mayor pro tem.” He went on to say, “The meeting ended abruptly,” and a Stafford policewoman escorted Jones out of the meeting. “In retrospect the incident was highly regrettable. I regret the chain of events,” Jones said. Those “events” included Jones getting out of his chair and grabbing a piece of paper out of Council Member Virginia Rosas’ hand that she was reading aloud about the number of council meetings Jones had missed in the past. Mayor Leonard Scarcella was first to speak about the apology. He said, “On behalf of the City of Stafford I accept your apology. Without getting into the details and belaboring and creating more consternation,
I respectfully object to your summary of the events, facts and the law. Having said that, I hope we are able to go forward in a most constructive manner. “One thing, in thinking about the item on this agenda, is a slight indication of race. The thing I feel is most important and am most gratified by is the fact that Stafford, Texas, is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S. from a racial, cultural and religious standpoint. It has been for 40 years to bring that about. It hasn’t happened accidently or without controversy.” Scarcella went on to say that when people talk about Stafford having 25% Caucasian, 25% Hispanic, 25% Asian and 25% To increase access to healthy food, AccessHealth has implemented a Fresh Produce PrescripAfrican-American, “I feel that tion program in partnership with Houston Food Bank. Medical providers at AccessHealth’s says so much for Stafford. I feel Richmond clinic issue these prescriptions which patients redeem at Catholic Charities’ nearby food pantry at the Mamie George Center for 30 pounds of complimentary fruits and vegetables See JONES, Page 3 each month. See story on Page 5.
Stafford Councilman Don Jones regrets his outburst, seeks apology By BARBARAFULENWIDER Stafford Councilman Don Jones at City Council’s Sept. 18 expressed his apology for his emotional outburst during a council discussion on Aug. 21. At the Sept. 18 meeting Jones said, “I remain proud to confess I am not perfect” and that “a person must be able to live with their regrets. Mayor, council, staff, citizens of our city, I would like to show my respect for the chamber by apologizing. Thank you for the time.” At the August meeting Jones was angry because he felt he got unfair treatment when council passed him over as the city’s next mayor pro tem. “I asked for a fair opportunity to be mayor pro tem. It was passed over for my term in the customary rotation of this procedure. I was passed over as
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wave to the gathering. even more prosperous than ever before. India has never invested before as it is doing now and it is reciprocal. The U.S. is doing the same thing,” Trump said. “Very soon, India will have access to a very great American product, NBA basketball. Next week, thousands of Indians will gather in Mumbai to watch NBA basketball. “Am I invited, Mr. Prime Minister? I may come. Be careful, I may come,” he quipped. No issue is more important than energy security. For the first time ever, the US is No. 1 on Planet Earth in producing oil and natural gas. That means more jobs, higher wages and lower prices at the pump, Trump said. Trump said he was thrilled to learn that Indian company Petron has committed to buying millions of tons of LNG from the US. They increase employment in the US and freedom and security in India, he said. “To keep our nations safe, the U.S. and India are forging
democracy, he said. Both the Indian and American Constitutions begin with the same three words “We, the people,” Trump said. Under Prime Minister Modi, the world is witnessing a strong, shining and thriving Republic of India, Trump said. That, within a decade, India lifted 300 million people out of poverty is an incredible number, he added. In India and the U.S., people are prospering like never before because we are slashing bureaucracy and job-killing red tape. Because of tax cuts and pro-worker policies, the U.S. economy is breaking one record after another, he said. The US unemployment rate has reached the lowest level in 51 years. In the last two years, the unemployment rate among Indian Americans has dropped by 33.33 percent, Trump said. “Every day, the Indian American community is helping our country to strengthen our future,” he said. “Prime Minister Modi, I look forward to making our nations
greater defense partnerships. We are looking forward to concluding several defense deals very soon. The US is working on Space Force and it is working closely with India in space cooperation. India and the US will hold the first ever triservice military exercise called Tiger Trio,” Trump said. “We are committed to protecting innocent civilians from radical Islamic terrorism,” Trump said. Modi acknowledged this and nodded, while the crowd gave a standing ovation to the statement. “Both India and the U.S. understand that to keep our communities safe, we must protect our borders. Border security is vital to the US. Border security is vital to India,” said Trump. Modi clapped in response. “Illegal immigration is unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who work hard, pay their taxes and obey our laws. Yet, there are those in Washington who raid your See HOWDY, Page 2