Indian Prime Minster Narendra Modi will make his second trip to the United States since becoming Prime Minister, reports News India Times.
Modi is scheduled to visit California’s Silicon Valley in late September. The San Francisco Bay Area is home to 500,000 people of Indian descent.
The visit will be highlighted by an appearance at the SAP Center on September 27 that supporters hope will be reminiscent to Modi’s visit to Madison Square Garden in New York last September.
The visit to California is also expected to bring a repeat of the protests that followed his east coast trip last year.
Sikh Siyasat reports that resentment remains strong among minorities in India over Modi’s handling of the Gujrat riots in 2002 which left 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus dead.
“Having the Butcher of Gujarat in the U.S. is unsettling to thousands of NRIs (non-resident Indians) who fled India to take refuge in this country specifically to escape the sorts of atrocities Modi perpetuates.” said Bhajan Singh of the Organization of Minorities in India. “Because his political career is distinguished by genocide, pogroms, and draconian legislation targeting Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and others, Indian minorities feel threatened by his presence and so we anticipate his arrival on our shores will be marked by protests.”
The protests are likely to be overshadowed by the throngs of people expected to come out and see Modi.
“The event is a historic moment for the Indian community in Silicon Valley and the diaspora in general,” said Vijay Chauthaiwale, head of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Foreign Relations Department.
Silicon Valley is home of many Indians who work in the tech industry.
“He is the first (Indian) leader to be tech savvy,” and the community is all enthused by the prospect of his being here,” said Khanderao Kand, one of the organizers of the trip. “There is tremendous interest among techies.”