Will PM Modi Address a Madison Square-Like Event in Texas?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi may address a Madison Square Garden-like Indian diaspora event in Houston, Texas soon .

While the dates of the trip have not been confirmed, this will be PM Modi's first visit to the US after Donald Trump assumed office as President. According to the report, a visit to Texas is "under serious consideration" and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) is expected to take a decision in this regard next week.

Community leaders in Houston invited the PM to address the diaspora in Houston, during a meeting in Delhi in February. Texas is home to around 2,50,000 Indian-Americans, a



number lesser only than New York and California.

Moreover, with the US state being "the centre of the American petroleum industry" as well as housing the NASA Johnson Space Centre (in Houston), Modi's visit to the US state may give an impetus to Indo-US ties by possibly strengthening cooperation in the energy sector and space diplomacy.

Notably, US Energy Secretary Rick Perry had also asked for Modi to come to Texas when he met with his Indian counterpart Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in March this year.

The upcoming visit will be PM Modi's fourth trip to the US in three years.