Asserting that the United States is “deeply invested” in its strategic partnership with India, the Obama Administration declared on Tuesday that it “stands ready to work closely with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the new government to promote shared prosperity and strengthen our security”.
In a statement, Secretary of State John Kerry also indicated that he plans an early India visit to hold consultations with the new Government. “I look forward to returning to India soon and echo President Obama’s invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit the United States at the earliest opportunity,” he said.In his first detailed comment on the Indian elections, Kerry congratulated the BJP on its “resounding victory” and Modi on his election to the high office, adding: “The voice of the Indian electorate is clear and unequivocal in its call for economic opportunity and effective governance for all.”
“When the people of India hold the biggest democratic election in human history, all the world tunes in to watch. And what we saw has been nothing short of remarkable: more voters cast their ballots freely and fairly than any other in world history, with over 530 million Indians going to the polls,” he said, stressing: “Every time I visit India, I’m struck by the vibrancy of your culture, the energy of your youth, and the strength of your democratic institutions.”
“The friendship between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy is absolutely vital, and the United States is deeply invested in our strategic relationship,” Kerry said, adding: “We look forward to strengthening our partnership based on common values, shared democratic traditions, and the binding ties between our peoples.”
Earlier, at a State Department news briefing, spokesperson Jen Psaki sidestepped the unseemly visa issue relating to Modi and voiced confidence that the US’s “strong and enduring” relationship with India would only grow further under the new Government.“Obviously, we have a long, enduring partnership with India. That will continue and hopefully only grow in the future,” Psaki told reporters.
The spokesperson was dismissive of questions over a media report suggesting that Modi was less prompt in publicly responding on his Twitter handle to the congratulatory messages from President Obama as opposed to other world leaders, notably Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think our relationship between the United States and India is so strong and enduring we won’t worry about the Twitter rank order,” Psaki shot back when asked if she was bothered that the US president was “so far down on the list of Mr Modi’s priorities to thank”.
The Twitter-friendly Modi did post the message on his conversation with Obama, but the questioner said it had come after tweets relating to “a whole bunch of people….like President Putin and others”.“In our conversation, @BarackObama & I talked about further strengthening India-USA strategic partnership that will help both nations,” Modi had tweeted.
Faced with a barrage of questions on the visa issue, Psaki said: “I’m not going to get into the tick-tock, but heads of government and heads of state are eligible for an A-1 visa and must travel to the United States on an A-1 visa regardless of the purpose of the trip.”
Top Republican Senator John McCain, meanwhile, congratulated Modi and the BJP on their “resounding success” in the elections, adding he looks forward to working with the new government to revitalise and expand US-India strategic partnership. The election itself was “a powerful and inspiring demonstration of the vibrancy of the world’s largest democracy”, he commented.