New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee called on US President Barack Obama and wife Michelle at a specially hosted banquet at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Sunday.
Present at the event were dignitaries including Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and key ministers in Prime Minister Modi’s cabinet.
Addressing the gathering, Obama said that, “Tonight I was thinking of wearing a 'Modi kurta' myself. I want to extend my thanks for the extraordinary hospitality that you have shown us today. I also want to thank you for not making me dance again,” he said.
US President Barack Obama talking to Ratan Tata at the banquet hosted by Pranab Mukherjee. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
Earlier in the day, India and US reached a breakthrough on the stalled civil nuclear agreement by agreeing on commercial cooperation and decided to take defence cooperation to a new level including on upgrading domestic defence industry and advanced technologies.
Read: ‘Mera pyaar bhara namaskar’, President Obama greets India
EAM Sushma Swaraj greets President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama at the banquet in Rashtrapati Bhavan. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
The contours of the operationalisation of the nuclear deal, which has been in limbo for the last more than six years, were not immediately available, although President Barack Obama described it as a "breakthrough".
The deal on nuclear cooperation and other areas was clinched between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Obama after discussions spread over three hours at the delegation level as well as one-on-one chat besides a tete-a-tete on the lawns of the Hyderabad House reflecting the warm personal chemistry between the two leaders.
Sonia Gandhi, LK Advani and Home Minister Rajnath Singh at the banquet hosted by Pranab Mukherjee for Barack Obama. (Photo: ANI Twitter)
