Modi in US Day 2: PM to attend Yoga Day event at UN, join First Lady Jill Biden in Virginia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in the United States for a state visit on Tuesday and held discussions with Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and several thought leaders in New York before wrapping up the first day of the trip.
The prime minister will today lead the 9th International Yoga Day celebrations at the United Nations headquarters in the city. The Yoga Day programme will be held at the North Lawn of UN Headquarters. This year’s theme is ‘Yoga for Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ to further the message of unity, and peace.
UN General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and many other diplomats and UN officials are expected to attend the event.
Ahead of his participation in the Yoga Day event in New York, Prime Minister Modi addressed the national celebration – led by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh – via video message today.
He said, “The coming together of more than 180 countries on India’s call is historic and unprecedented.”
The prime minister also recalled the support of a record number of countries in 2014 when the proposal for International Yoga Day was tabled in the UN General Assembly.
Short trip to Virginia
After the Yoga Day programme, Prime Minister Modi will depart for Washington DC where he will attend a background briefing by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu. He will then take part in a cultural event at Freedom Plaza before flying to Virginia from Joint Base Andrews, Washington DC.
As part of the official state visit to the United States, First Lady Jill Biden will host PM Modi at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria on Wednesday for an event highlighting career-connected learning and workforce training programs. The First Lady and the Indian prime minister will meet with students from both countries and participate in a moderated conversation.
Following this event, the First Lady will host a media preview at the White House ahead of the State Dinner. The media preview event will include brief remarks from the First Lady, White House social secretary Carlos Elizondo, and guest Chef Nina Curtis followed by presentations of the menu.
The visit also includes an address by the prime minister to the joint session of the US Congress on June 22.
What happened on Day 1
Prime Minister Modi held discussions with Tesla CEO Elon Musk hours after landing in New York and said the conversation ranged from energy to spirituality.
“Great meeting you, Elon Musk. We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality,” Modi tweeted after the meeting.
Musk replied back, saying “It was an honor to meet again.”
“Great conversation with @NarendraModi,” he said.
The prime minister also met several prominent US personalities from different walks of life.
“Modi met Elon Musk, tech pioneer, business magnate and CEO of Tesla Inc. & SpaceX; owner, CTO and chairman of Twitter; founder of the Boring Company and X-corp; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI, today, in New York, USA.
“Prime Minister appreciated Musk’s efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. Prime Minister invited Musk to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and rapidly expanding commercial space sector,” an official press statement said.