The visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this weekend to the United States is prompting both excitement and lingering resentment from the Indian American community.
A small group of Indian Americans waited patiently for the Prime Minister to arrive at his New York hotel. The New Indian Express reports they were rewarded when Modi stepped away from his entourage to greet them.
“I don’t think the American security guys expected it,” said one Indian American standing outside the hotel. “He came and waved to us, walked down the entire block and came back. All the time shaking hands. Our wait was worth it”.
You can watch some of the excitment in the video from the Washington Post below
“We are proud of what he has done for Gujrat, and we are excited about the fresh vision and honest perspective he will bring to national leadership,” said Paul Prashant Patel, 53, who plans to be in the crowd at the Madison Square Garden on Sunday when Modi will address an expected pack house of Indian Americans.
Others however can’t forget Modi’s controversial part in the Gujrat riots a decade ago which left 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus dead.
“Mr. Modi may claim to have reinvented himself, but he has not changed his violent supremacist ideology,” said Ubaid Shaik, 52. Shaik is planning a demonstration outside the MSG to protest the Prime Minister’s visit. He calls Modi’s religious agenda “very dangerous for any country, especially a huge rising power like India.”
You can read more about the controversial visit in the Washington Post.