What Modi Wants From the Indian Diaspora in the US

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five day visit to the U.S. he reached out to the Indian diaspora, sharing his vision for India’s development and asking for their support in building a stronger India.

Indian people living in the US gather in support outside the White House, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with US President Barack Obama in Washington, DC, on September 30, 2014. Modi launched his Washington visit late on Monday at a private dinner hosted by Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the ornate Blue Room of the White House. He came to Washington after wowing members of the Indian diaspora in New York and making his debut at the United Nations General Assembly, following his Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) landslide election win in May. Mladen Antonov/AFP/Getty Images

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s five day visit to the U.S. he reached out to the Indian diaspora, sharing his vision for India’s development and asking for their support in building a stronger India. 

On Sunday, Modi said India would lead the 21st century in a speech to 20,000 American-Indians at New York’s Madison Square Garden (MSG). He said India’s large, youthful population, demand, and the fact that it has a functioning democracy are the strengths that will propel it in the coming years.

“By 2020, only India will be in a position to provide workforce to the world,” he said, according to a translation by the Indian Express Newspaper.

Indian immigrants held signs of support for Modi near the U.N. in New York City on Sept. 27, 2014. Modi reached out to the Indian diaspora community during his visit to the US, inviting them to share in his vision of a stronger India. Holly Kellum/Epoch Times