This Article is From Sep 22, 2019

Who Will Speak First? PM Modi, Trump To Share Stage At "Howdy, Modi"

Howdy Modi: On Saturday, PM Modi began his week-long visit to US, his first since winning a second term.

Who Will Speak First? PM Modi, Trump To Share Stage At 'Howdy, Modi'

PM Modi met US President Donald Trump last month. (File)

Anticipation is running high hours before the "Howdy, Modi!" event at Houston in the United States where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share stage with US President Donald Trump. More than 50,000 Indian-Americans are expected to attend the mega event and it's not yet clear yet who will address the event first - PM Modi or Donald Trump.

Mr Trump, who was earlier expected to make a brief appearance at the mega event, is likely to deliver a 30-minute speech on India and Indian Americans, according to some reports. In a statement, the White House said on Saturday that Mr Trump will spend 100 minutes at the event.

"Howdy, Modi!" will be a "great opportunity to emphasize the strong ties between the people of the United States and India, to reaffirm the strategic partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies, and to discuss ways to deepen their energy and trade relationship," the White House said in a statement on Saturday.

The nearly three-hour-long event is being organised at the NRG Football Stadium, one of the largest in the US. The summit, with the theme of "Shared Dreams, Bright Futures" will highlight the contributions of Indian-Americans in enriching the American life for the last seven decades as well as the key role they have played in strengthening relations between the two nations.

Mr Trump met PM Modi last month on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, where the two leaders discussed Kashmir among other issues.

On Saturday, PM Modi began his week-long visit to US, his first since winning a second term.

As he landed in Houston, the energy capital of the world, he tweeted: "Howdy Houston! It's a bright afternoon here in Houston. Looking forward to a wide range of programmes in this dynamic and energetic city today and tomorrow."

A roundtable with energy sector CEOs was his first engagement after his arrival in the country on Saturday.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI) 

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