Ritu Jha (reporting from San Francisco)–
Chanting ‘Har-Har Modi, Ghar-Ghar Modi’, several Indian American community people from the San Francisco Bay Area hosted a Unity Day march at the Golden Gate in San Francisco to welcome Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be on a four-day tour to the United States.
India Unity Day San Francisco was part of the national march organized by community leader Adapa Prasad, president of Overseas Friends of BJP (OFBJP), USA, and was hosted in 20 cities across the United States, including Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Tampa, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Columbus, and St Louis.
Shachindra Nath, who attended the march at Golden Gate told indica, “It’s a welcome march for Modiji, because it’s Modiji’s historical visit.”
“The march has been hosted across the US, and we are calling it a ‘Unity March’ because we Indian Americans are united here and we want to show our solidarity towards India,” Nath said.
Nath said he along with his friends will go to Washington, DC and a few will be going to United Nations in New York City to attend International Yoga Day on June 21.
President Joe Biden is scheduled to host Modi at an official State Dinner on June 22, and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have invited him to address a joint session of Congress.
Modi is the first Indian Prime Minister to address the joint session twice.
Modi will attend the cultural program hosted by OFBJP at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC, to meet business leaders at events hosted by USISPF, the Indian American community and BJP karyakartas at dinner on June 23.
Asked on the expectation from the prime minister, Nath said, “I understand trade, geo-political issues will be in the talk, but I hope Modiji talks on immigration and green cards as there is a lot of backlog.”
He added, “Many H-1B visa holders have lost their job, I wish he would talk about social security disability…International Social Security agreements totalization agreements.”
Nath said Modi has become more of a global leader than he was in 2014. “People today praise India and so we are more excited now than in 2015,” Nath said.
Another attendee Ashok Bhatt believes Modi is the second highest powerful person in the world, being invited twice as a state guest at the White House. “It is a proud moment for the India American community.”
Bhatt, a long-time Democrat who has hosted fundraising events for Vice President Kamala Harris, told indica, “Under Modi, India’s exports have risen significantly between 2014 and 2023. This is a matter of prestige for India. We feel proud that India’s prime minister is doing something unique for the country’s growth,” Bhatt said.
Asked if he feels the same vibe as in 2015, when Modi first visited Silicon Valley as PM, Bhatt said, “In the minds of the people, Modi’s popularity never went down. This signifies his power and strength. He believes in ‘Sab ka saath, sab ka vikas’ (Everyone together, everyone’s prosperity) and is doing a true job.”
Bhatt said he will attend the International Yoga Day event in NYC, followed by Modi’s White House welcome ceremony and business event at Kennedy Center and the community dinner hosted by Dr Bharat Barai at the Ronald Regan Center, all in Washington DC.
Bhatt said the Indian diaspora wants Modi to solve the visa and green card issue with the US as the backlog keeps piling. “Now things are slightly better with green cards, as they are expediting the process, but the backlog is far too much.”
Bhatt shared his thoughts on Vice President Kamala Harris joining the Department of State lunch with Modi, called it historic. He said he posted in 2020 that Harris will be in the White House, and he was proved right. He added that when Biden and Harris got elected, many of his friends said the Indo-US relations will worsen. “But I said it will skyrocket. Democrats have always been in favor of India, and Indo-US relations became stronger in the time of the Democrats,” Bhatt said.
Indian American community holds Unity Day rally across 20 cities
