“New York Gears Up for PM Modi’s Grand Diaspora Event”

Preparations are in full swing to welcome Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a diaspora event in New York, where more than 16,000 people are expected to gather at the Nassau Coliseum on Sunday.

This event comes between Modi’s participation in the Quad Summit, hosted by US President Joe Biden in Delaware on Saturday, and his address at the United Nations ‘Summit of the Future’ on Monday.

Avinash Gupta, President of the tri-state chapter of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), said the organisers were overwhelmed by the response. Over 25,000 people applied to attend the event, but the number was reduced to 16,000 to accommodate the venue’s capacity.

Before Prime Minister Modi’s speech, a cultural program will be held. Gupta shared that 159 applications were received for the cultural performances, out of which 15 were selected. Priority was given to children’s performances, which will showcase the diversity of India’s culture.

Gupta also mentioned that, due to the proximity of the event to the US elections, no politicians will be present on stage, though some may attend as part of the audience.

Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese of Australia and Fumio Kishida of Japan will join the Quad summit, formally known as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue. The Summit of the Future aims to gather world leaders to outline the UN’s future agenda and take concrete steps to tackle emerging global challenges and opportunities.

While in New York, Prime Minister Modi is expected to meet several world leaders attending the summit, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Former US President Donald Trump, who is running as the Republican Party’s presidential candidate, has also announced that he will be meeting Modi. He recently held a rally at the same Nassau Coliseum where Modi is set to speak on Sunday.