Howdy, Modi: US Prez Trump eyeing appearance at PM's mega Texas event?

In a major update to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming US trip, reports on Sunday suggest that US President Donald Trump is eyeing to make an appearance at the mega “Howdy, Modi!” event in Houston, Texas. Reports suggest that Trump who faces re-election in November 2020, is allegedly looking to cash in on the Indian Prime Minister's large audience. The event which is scheduled to be held on September 22 at the NRG stadium, where the  Super Bowl was held in 2017. As many as 50,000 people are set to attend the program apart from those watching at home. This will be PM Modi's first visit to Houston as the prime minister.

READ | 'Howdy Modi' Summit: Houston's Texas India Forum prepares to welcome PM Modi during his visit to US in September

'Howdy Modi!' event:

The 'Howdy Modi' event organised by Texas India Forum, a not-for-profit organisation has confirmed that over 650 community organisations have already signed up to be "welcome partners" for the program. The event will include a cultural programme and an address by PM Modi. A 90-minute cultural program titled, “Woven: The Indian-American Story” is going to performed 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 to the stadium.

READ | PM Narendra Modi to address 50,000 people in US stadium where 2017 Super Bowl was held, event named 'Howdy Modi!'

Preparations for the event

Well-known Indian community leader in Houston Jugal Malani has been named the convenor of the "Howdy, Modi!" organising committee. "We are excited to hold this summit at the renowned NRG stadium. This will be the largest ever gathering of Indian Americans and friends of India, with a diverse representation from the region and across the country," Malani said. The tagline for the summit is "Shared Dreams, Bright Futures". Attendance for the event will be free, but passes will be required, which can be obtained only by registering at the website. The event will be broadcast live and on television channels reaching over one billion people across the US and India.

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PM Modi's previous US rallies:

This 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. Both the events were attended by more than 20,000 people. Houston, which has one of the largest concentration of the Indian-American community in the US, is the energy capital of the world.

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