Thousands to attend PM Modi's diaspora meet in New York next month

New York, Aug 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a mass meeting with the Indian diaspora when he visits the city next month for the annual United Nations summit, but with the elections weeks away there won't be any US politicians participating, according to a source with knowledge of the preparations.

The meeting will be held at an open-air venue on Long Island capable of accommodating the 18,000 people expected to attend, the source said.

The meeting will be a celebration of the achievements of the Indian diaspora in the US and the people-to-people links between the US and India that are bringing the two nations closer, according to the source.

PM Modi will be in New York for the week of high-level meetings at the United Nations from September 22 to 28, starting with the 'Summit of the Future'.

He is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 26.

The source said that with the US elections five weeks away on November 5, US politicians will not be invited to avoid any semblance of involvement in domestic politics here.

The source recalled that with then-President Donald Trump at his side during the 'Howdy, Modi' rally in Houston in 2019, the Prime Minister had said, "abki baar Trump sarkaar" which rang loud and clear and also stirred controversy as the elections were held the next year.

The organisers wanted to avoid any misinterpretation that could arise if US politicians participated at PM Modi's meeting and stay neutral, the source said.

Coming to New York for the UN meeting after his first election in September 2014, Prime Minister Modi held a rally at the Madison Square Garden, which was packed with about 20,000 people.

The next year, he had a mass meeting with the diaspora in San Jose.

Last year, PM Modi participated in the International Day of Yoga mass exercise at the UN.

Although the source would not give out the exact location of the meeting on Long Island, the odds are that it could be at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow in Nassau County, where some of the World Cup Cricket matches were held in June.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at [email protected] and followed at @arulouis)