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PM Modi ends US visit with a ringing endorsement of Biden
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That would translate roughly to:
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"He (President Biden) has been personally responsible for driving the India-US relationship to new heights and I publicly commend him for his efforts."
The Prime Minister is very popular in the Indian American community and he has sought to cultivate this constituency as a pillar of the broader relationship between the two countries. But he has also used it to weigh in in presidential elections.
Prime Minister Modi had sought a second term for former President Donald Trump at a joint appearance in a rally of IndianAmericans in Houston in 2019, called the "Howdy Mody" event.
It didn't help. Trump lost.
There are an estimated 4.5 million people in the US of Indian descent. They include this reporter, who has lived in the US for 13 years but remains an Indian citizen.
Less than a quarter of these Indian-Americans vote, but many of them donate heavily to their political party of choice, which has been the Democratic party traditionally.
But polls show some Indian Americans are gravitating towards the Republican party, although their numbers remain statistically insignificant.
Close to 70 per cent of Indian-
Rahul visits relief camps in Manipur’s Bishnupur
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He will also hold talks with leaders of the United Naga Council (UNC), influential women bodies, prominent citizens and intellectuals.
Americans identify themselves as either Democratic or leaningDemocratic, according to polls. And Biden has the support of most Indian-Americans, both donors and voters. But the Prime Minister's endorsement of the US president, who is seeking a second term, could stanch the flow of Indian-Americans to the Republican Party, no matter who is the presidential nominee. Modi is popular in the IndiaAmerican community but there is no evidence he can influence their voting. He openly rooted for Trump in the 2020 election and he lost -- Indian Americans voted mostly for Biden, wherever they were.
