Chandi to Meet Indian Prime Minister Modi [Opinion]

Nachhattar Singh Chandi is in Washington, D.C., to see Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India’s Prime Minister will address a joint session of Congress as well as attend a State Dinner in his honor.

The Prime Minister of India has proven to be a friend of the United States. However, India is not an ally. Former U.S. President Donald Trump went out of his way to build a Quad partnership with India. He also hosted a rally in Texas for Prime Minister Modi with 50,000 guests.

India has numerous regional partners and alliances. One that troubles many is his purchase of Russian Crude oil at “friendly” prices from Putin. Modi, then sells that oil on the market for much more that he paid for it. Some say he’s a good businessman.

With a population of 1.4 billion people India should be a destination for more products made in the USA. This will require more work by our Commerce and State Departments along with a 50 states Governors push to get products Indians want to buy into the country.

Trade must be reciprocal if we want to see more goods and services sold or purchased by Indian consumers.

Governors should be putting trade trips to India together. The Commerce Department has made trade trips happen in the past with Deputy Assistant Secretary Vinyard.

Hats off to Speaker Kevin McCarthy for taking the lead on building diplomatic relationships with India. It was McCarthy that extended the invitation to Modi to address the joint session of Congress.

For Chandi, this is the second time he has attended a Joint Session address by Prime Minister Modi. You may see his invitation here.

That first address was almost eight years ago. Since that time, Chandi has developed even stronger ties with the Prime Minister and his Ambassador to the United States.

These ties are of benefit to the United States, India, and the U.S. business community.

Hats off to Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his staff for getting communication with India back on track. California, its businesses and its residents will benefit when we open new pathways for communication, cooperation, and trade. So do states like New York, Iowa, Tennessee, and any state manufacturing and producing farm products.

Our long-range goal should be to turn Modi into a good friend and India into a strong ally and a top-trade partner. Let’s encourage the Biden Administration to work with Speaker McCarthy to make this effort a top priority.

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