Ahead of Modi's US trip, White House says India a strong partner on many levels

Ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the US, the White House on Monday dismissed concerns about the health of the Indian democracy and said that it is in fact "vibrant" and that anybody who happens to go to New Delhi can witness that.

US and India's 'vibrant' democracy

Speaking at a press conference, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, stated: "India is a vibrant democracy. Anybody that, you know, happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves. And certainly, I would expect that the strength and health of democratic institutions will be part of the discussion."

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As per PTI, he was responding to a question on the health of Indian democracy under Prime Minister Modi.

"And, look, we never shy away. And you can do that with friends; you're supposed to do that with friends. You never shy away from expressing concerns that we might have with anyone around the world," said Kirby.

"But this (State) visit is really about advancing what is now and what we hope will be a deeper, stronger partnership and friendship going forward," he added.

Kirby on Modi's upcoming visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a state visit to America later this month. His June 22 visit, as per the White House, will boost the US and India's "shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific."

Kirby said Modi's visit is about advancing "what is now and what we hope will be a deeper, stronger partnership and friendship going forward".

During the visit, Indian PM Modi will be hosted by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden at a state dinner at the White House.

The reason behind this, as per Kirby, is that Biden wants to meet his Indian counterpart to advance and deepen bilateral partnership and friendship.

"There are innumerable reasons why India certainly matters not just bilaterally between the two of our nations, but multilaterally on very many levels. And the President is looking forward very much to having Prime Minister Modi here to talk about all those issues and to advance and deepen that partnership and that friendship," Kirby said.

Modi has also been invited by the US Congress to address a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate.

Reportedly, the theme of his address will be focused on the Indian PM's vision for India's future and the global challenges faced by India and the United States.

"India is a strong partner on very, very many levels with the United States. You saw that, in Shangri-La, Secretary Austin (Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin) announced some additional defence cooperation now that we're going to pursue with India. Of course, there's an awful lot of economic trade between our two countries. India is a member of the Pacific Quad and a key friend and partner with respect to Indo-Pacific security," added Kirby.

(With inputs from agencies)

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