Gabbard however vehemently denied the claims and wrote on Twitter: “This article is misinformed. I’m not attending the Houston event due to previously scheduled presidential campaign events. However I'm hoping to meet PM Modi on his visit to discuss the importance of maintaining the strong partnership of the world's oldest & largest democracies.”
On Wednesday, Democratic party member and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard rebutted a media report which claimed she had dropped out of PM’s ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Texas after Ro Khanna’s statement.
Congressman Ro Khanna had claimed it was ‘the duty of every American politician of Hindu faith to stand for pluralism, reject Hindutva, and speak for equal rights for Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Christians’.
Gabbard however vehemently denied the claims and wrote on Twitter: “This article is misinformed. I’m not attending the Houston event due to previously scheduled presidential campaign events. However I'm hoping to meet PM Modi on his visit to discuss the importance of maintaining the strong partnership of the world's oldest & largest democracies.”
Political commentators felt that Gabbard’s decision to drop out would’ve been because of Donald Trump’s presence. Gabbard has gone hard after Trump over his tweets about Saudi Arabia.
.@realDonaldTrump
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) September 16, 2019
Trump awaits instructions from his Saudi masters. Having our country act as Saudi Arabia's bitch is not "America First." https://t.co/kJOCpqwaQS
.@realDonaldTrump Despicable. Offering to place our military assets under the command of a foreign country—Saudi Arabia—is a disgrace and betrayal of my patriotic brothers and sisters in uniform and to our Constitution. We are not your prostitutes. You are not our pimp. pic.twitter.com/Cu1OewEMOC
— Tulsi Gabbard (@TulsiGabbard) September 16, 2019
1. Trump to attend Howdy Modi
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Earlier on Sunday, the White House had confirmed that the US President will be making a joint appearance with Prime Minister Modi at the Houston event.
The mega event is believed to be one of the largest events to welcome a foreign head of government ever in the history of the United States.
It will mark the first time that the two leaders would meet outside of either capital Washington DC or New York, where the United Nations is headquartered.
Over 50,000 people have already been registered for the event, which will be hosted by the Texas India Forum.
2. Historic tribute to Indian-American community
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Alice Wells, US Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia on Tuesday said that President Donald Trump's decision to join Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the 'Howdy Modi' event is a "historic tribute" to contributions of Indian-American community.
"@POTUS joining @NarendraModi for the #HowdyModi event in Houston is a truly historic tribute to the contributions of the Indian-American community to the prosperity of our country and the strength of US-India relations. AGW," Wells said in a tweet posted on the page of Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs (SCA).
Earlier on Sunday, the White House had confirmed that the US President will be making a joint appearance with Prime Minister Modi at the Houston event.
The mega event is believed to be one of the largest events to welcome a foreign head of government ever in the history of the United States.
It will mark the first time that the two leaders would meet outside of either capital Washington DC or New York, where the United Nations is headquartered.Over 50,000 people have already been registered for the event, which will be hosted by the Texas India Forum.
3. S Jaishankar on India-US relation
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Referring to the recent trade differences, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said that India and the US would address the 'sharper edges' of their relations in a not so distant future.
"My expectation is that some of the sharper edges that many of you have seemed to pick up would be addressed in some form in a not so distant future. Exactly which ones, all that is really the Commerce Ministers' remit," Jaishankar said while responding to a question on the trade difference between New Delhi and Washington at a press conference here.
The minister said that the trade issues are reflective of substantial relations between the two countries. "The only way you cannot have a trade problem is when you do not trade. Trade problems happen with the people you are closest to because it's actually with them that you do the most trade."
Jaishankar said the government had been engaging for months with the US to try and resolve the trade issues. "It's a glass 90 per cent full rather than 10 per cent empty," he said.
"I have always been optimistic that a time will come when after a lot of these exchanges mostly at the bureaucratic level, there would be an effort to take it to a higher level, then sit down and see where we can find a common ground where there is give and trade and find ways by which it works for both of us," he said.
