‘India will be 3rd largest economy soon’: Key points from PM Modi’s address to US Congress | India News
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday, becoming only the third world leader ever to make such an address twice. PM Modi earlier addressed the US Congress in 2016 during the Barack Obama administration.
The invitation reflects the significance given by US President Joe Biden to India-US relationship and his friendship with PM Modi.
US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy welcomed PM Modi to Capitol Hill where he received a standing ovation from the Senators.
Here are the key points and top quotes from PM Modi’s address to Congress:
- It is always a great honour to address the US Congress. It is an exceptional privilege to do so twice. For this honour, I extend my deepest gratitude to the 1.4 billion people of India
- I see that nearly half of you were here in 2016. I can also see the enthusiasm of the old friends and the new friends in the other half
- A lot has changed since I came here seven summers ago, but a lot has remained the same, like our commitment to deepen the friendship between India and US
- Now, when our era is at crossroads, I am here to speak about our calling for this century
- Past few years, there have been many advances in the AI – Artificial Intelligence. At the same time, there have been even more momentous development in another AI – America and India
- Beauty of democracy is constant connect with people, to listen to them, and feel their pulse
- I am delighted to see you come together today, to celebrate bond between world’s two great democracies – India and US
- I am told that Samosa Caucus is now flavour of House. I hope it grows and brings full diversity of Indian cuisine here (referring referring to US Vice President Kamala Harris and other senators of Indian origin)
- We pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. We remember many others who worked for liberty, equality and justice
- Democracy is one of our sacred and shared values. Democracy is spirit that supports equality and dignity
- Democracy is idea that welcomes debate and discourse. Democracy is culture that gives wings to thought and expression
- India is blessed to have these values since time immemorial. Together we shall give a better future to the world and a better world to the future. Our partnership augurs well for the future of democracy
- The foundation of America was inspired by the vision of a nation of equal people…There are millions here who have roots in India, some of them sit proudly in this chamber and there is one behind me
- I can relate to the battles of patience, persuasion and policy. I can understand the debate of ideas and ideology. But I am delighted to see you come together to celebrate the bonds between two great democracies – India and the United States
- India is the home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them. In India, diversity is a natural way of life, today the world wants to know more and more about India
- When I first visited the US as a PM, India was the 10th largest economy in the world. Today, India is the 5th largest economy. India will be the 3rd largest economy soon. We are not only growing bigger but we are also growing faster. When India grows the whole world grows
- We have over 2,500 political parties. About 20 different parties govern various states of India. We have 22 official languages and thousands of dialects, yet we speak in one voice
- Last year India celebrated 75 years of independence. Every milestone is important but this one was special. We celebrated a remarkable journey of our 75 years of freedom after thousand years of foreign rule in one form or another. This was not just a celebration of democracy but also of diversity
- There will be and there must be a contest of ideas at home, but we must also come together as one when we speak for our nation
- India’s vision is not just of development which benefits women. It is of women-led development, where women lead journey of progress
- A spirit of democracy, inclusion and sustainability defines us. India grows while being responsible for our planet. The earth is our mother and we are her children. Indian culture deeply respects the environment and our planet
- We became the only G20 country to meet its Paris commitment. We made renewables account for over 40% of our energy sources 9 years ahead of the target of 2030. But we did not stop there. At the Glasgow Summit, I proposed mission LiFE…Our mission is pro-planet progress, pro-planet prosperity, pro-planet people
- We live by the motto of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’-the world is one family. Our engagement with the world is for everyone’s benefit. The same spirit is also seen in the theme when we chair the G20 Summit, One Earth, One Family, One Future. Last week, all nations joined our proposal at the UN, to build a memorial wall to honour the peacekeepers. This year the whole world is celebrating the International Year of Millets, to promote sustainable agriculture
- We were strangers in defence cooperation at turn of the century. Now, US has become one of our most important defence partners
- Scope of our co-operation is endless, potential of our synergies is limitless, and, chemistry in our relations is effortless
- I agree with President Biden that this is defining partnership of this century. Because it serves a larger purpose
- With the Ukraine conflict, war has returned to Europe. It is causing great pain in the region. Since it involves great powers the consequences are severe.
- Global order is based on respect for UN Charter, peaceful resolution of disputes and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity.
- As I have said before and directly, this is not an era of war. This is an era of dialogue and diplomacy.
- Two decades after 9/11 and a decade after 26/11 in Mumbai, radicalism and terrorism still remain pressing danger for whole world
- Terrorism is an enemy of humanity and there can be no ifs or buts in dealing with it
- We must overcome all such forces sponsoring and exporting terror
- Our trusted partnership is like Sun in this new dawn that will spread light all around
- The stability of the Indo-Pacific region has become one of the central concerns of our partnership. We share a vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific
- We must revive multilateralism and reform multilateral institutions with better resources and representation that applies to all our global institutions of governance, especially the UN. When the world has changed, our institutions too must change or risk getting replaced by a world of rivalries without rules. In working for a new world order based on international law, our two countries will be at the forefront as partners
- Together, we shall demonstrate that democracies matter and democracies deliver
(With inputs from agencies)
