Modi's visit to US brings India global respect

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi came back to India after his US visit to address the annual UN General Assembly, what was in store for him back home was a rousing welcome organised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

A lot of euphoria was witnessed at Palam technical airport as Modi stepped down from a special Air India special flight at 8:15 pm on Saturday with BJP working president J P Nadda and Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari along with a host of MPs and senior party leaders welcoming him back on his return.

Hundreds of Modi followers chanted "Modi, Modi" in unison, an apparent display of their delight over the Prime Minister's mercurial political performance in the US. It was heartening to see Modi waving at scores of onlookers as he gracefully took a stroll after alighting the aircraft, holding a two-km road show.

Well, despite scattered criticisms from a few disgruntled quarters over abrogation of Article 370, Modi's weeklong visit to the US between September 21 and 27 was largely an assertion of India's significance among other big global powers.

Modi, who had a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements in New York, proved to the world that India is a nation that can withstand evil machinations of rival nations, especially terror-breeding, warmongering Pakistan.

He also attended 'Howdy Modi', an event organised in Houston by the Indian community which saw huge participation of expats who were visibly excited over Modi's address. He also hosted a special event 'Leadership Matters: Relevance of Gandhi in the Contemporary World' on September 24 in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber in the UN headquarters as the world commemorates Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary on October 2.

True to his own words, 'in the eyes of the world and also the world leaders, the respect for India, the enthusiasm towards India, has increased significantly'.

The visit to UNGA and his Houston rally undoubtedly brought global respect to over a billion Indian population and made the world realise the might of Indian democracy. In a series of meetings, Modi held intensive discussions on diplomatic relations, trade wars, economic disparities, terrorism and global issues.

During the seven days of his visit to the US, Modi met CEOs and representatives of 16 energy majors and held discussions on energy security. He also addressed the Climate Action Summit in New York and invited UN member States to join India's Initiative on Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

He, on different occasions, addressed a high-level meeting on health coverage, met leaders from Pacific Island nations in a plurilateral format, demonstrated India's commitment to advancing their development priorities, lauded Gandhi's teachings, social reforms and vision and said that they were relevant in contemporary times, gifted a Gandhi Solar Park to the UN, which was installed with solar panels on the rooftop of the UN building in New York among many other things, something that could not be achieved by his predecessors.

What more, he was also conferred the 'Global Goalkeeper Award' for the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by the government. The award from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was presented to him by Bill Gates in New York. His seven days' achievements need volumes to narrate. Well done, Modi!