It must have been a very special moment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he began a five-day official visit to the United States on Thursday, where he will be hosted by President Barack Obama. The Gujarat violence, for which Mr Modi was pointedly ostracised by the US for many years, is not just a closed chapter. The external affairs ministry now speaks of “substantive outcomes” from the Prime Minister’s interactions in America.
There is also a clutch of events associated with the Indian community. On a personal level, the PM could well be imbued with a sense of triumph (after the American cold-shouldering of the past) when he mingles with fellow Indians as some Hindu-style Indian groups had tried in vain to invite him as a guest when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.
It will be interesting to see how those Indians react who had vociferously opposed the former Gujarat CM and caused a buzz. Mainly from American academic life, they incline to Democratic politics in the American context.
This set could note the irony that the Indian PM is being embraced by the Democrats. He is scheduled to meet not just President Obama but also former President Bill Clinton. In contrast, he will not meet former President George W. Bush, whose administration had denied him a US visa. Interestingly, Mr Modi is also meeting Jewish groups. This could be meant as a signal not only to American business, where the Jewish community has a strong presence, but also to Israel.
It does seem that President Obama is taking an extra step for Mr Modi. He will be aware it may not be easy to make India swerve from its international policy orientation on key issues and be alongside the United States in matters like the crisis in Ukraine, or agree to back Washington militarily in dealing with the ISIS in Iraq and Syria. Thus, Mr Obama has suggested that India step forward to provide international assistance in dealing with the Ebola crisis that has hit West Africa hard and could spread elsewhere.
While trade, energy, defence and maritime security will be at the top of the agenda — an Indian spokesman said the India-US relationship embraced everything “from the atom to outer space” — Mr Narendra Modi will have to show ingenuity in dealing with the difficult question of compensation in the event of a nuclear accident to attract the American nuclear reactor industry.
US businesses will also look at the question of the ease of doing business in India. India, for its part, must make a few things clear on regional matters like Pakistan and its impact on the Afghan question, and the transfer of technology, not just US investments.
