The ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event held in Texas on September 22 has come in the backdrop of PM Modi’s historic address at the Madison Square Garden, New York in September 2014. US President Donald Trump has also agreed to attend the ‘Howdy Modi!’ event and he will be the first US President addressing the Indian American citizens on such a large scale. While the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event is expected to be attended by more than 50,000 people, the Madison Square Garden address of PM Modi was attended by at least 18,000 people in New York. The increase in the number shows the growth in the popularity of Narendra Modi over these five years. 

PM Modi’s Madison Square Garden address 

PM Modi, in an effort to exhort Indians to join the development process of our country, addressed the Indian diaspora in the USA on September 28, 2014. In his speech, he outlined the future of the USA with India and reached out to many non-resident Indians with welcome announcements on the visa regime. He rocked the crowd at the Madison Square with his first word, he gently started with, ‘Bharat Maata Ki’ when the crowd roared ‘Jai’ in their response. Attended by 41 US Congressmen then, Narendra Modi has gone big this time as the President himself will be present at the event.  

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PM Modi had started by informing the attendees and participants at the Madison Square Garden that there has been a renewed sense of hope and expectation in India and all Indian Americans wanted to renew their links with the country. The Prime Minister highlighted the unique combination of three great strengths that India has: democracy, demography, and demand. He said that for India, democracy is not just a system of governance, but an article of faith. Adding that the country now had the capability, the possibility and the opportunity to make the 21st century India's century, he said India is both the youngest nation and oldest civilization on earth. Saying that development is ultimately achieved through public participation, the Prime Minister said he wants to make development a mass movement, just like Mahatma Gandhi had made the freedom movement a mass movement. He highlighted various initiatives that have been initiated by the new Government including Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, Make in India, Swachh Bharat and Clean Ganga. Back then he also said that the Indians must present Swachh Bharat as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th anniversary in 2019. 

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‘Howdy, Modi!’  

The Houston event will be Modi's third major address to the Indian-American community after he became the prime minister in 2014 and the first after his re-election in May. The previous two were at the Madison Square Garden in New York in 2014 and the Silicon Valley in 2016. The "Howdy, Modi!" event is being organised by the non-profit Texas India Forum, a recently formed representative body of hundreds of Indian American organisations in Texas and other parts of the US. Also, a 90-minute cultural program titled, “Woven: The Indian-American Story” is going to perform celebrating the contributions of Indian-Americans to the cultural, intellectual, and social landscape of the United States. The program will start at 10:00 am before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address. 

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