Over 24,000 Indian-Americans sign up for PM Modi’s NY event

New York, Aug 28: More than 24,000 members of the Indian diaspora have signed up to attend a mega community event that will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi here next month.

The ‘Modi & US’ Progress Together’ event will be held on September 22 at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, which has a capacity of 15,000.

The Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) said Tuesday that over 24,000 Indian-Americans have signed up to attend the mega event, a community gathering that will be addressed by Modi.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to address the high-level UN General Assembly session here on September 26, according to a provisional list of speakers issued by the UN.

The IACU said in a statement that registrations for the event in Uniondale, Long Island have come through 590 community organisations, all of whom have signed up as ‘Welcome Partners’, from across the United States.

While Indian Americans from at least 42 states are expected to attend, the response has been particularly strong from the tri-state area, it said.

“We’re committed to ensuring as many people as possible can participate in this historic event,” said a key organiser of the event.

“We’re going to do our best to expand seating arrangements and coordinate with our Welcome Partners to prioritise final seat allocations to those who will confirm they expect to attend.”

The IACU said the ‘Modi & US’ event “promises to be a significant gathering celebrating the interconnected diversity of the Indian-American community.”

Attendees and participating organisations will include a wide range of religious communities, including members of the Jewish, Zoroastrian, Jain, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, and Hindu communities. They also represent a significant cross-section of India’s diverse languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Punjabi, Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, and others, IACU said.

In addition to an address by Prime Minister Modi, the event will showcase cultural performances and appearances by prominent Indian-Americans in business, science, entertainment, and the arts.

A not-for-profit organisation, the Indo-American Community of USA (IACU) fosters understanding of and unity within the Indo-American community through cultural events and public programmes.

Earlier this month, sources told PTI that preparations are in full swing for the community event in Long Island, coming 10 years after Modi addressed a massive community gathering at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York in September 2014 just months after he had first taken charge as Prime Minister and visited the city to attend the high-level annual General Assembly session.

In 2019, Modi addressed the mega community event ‘Howdy Modi’ at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, where he was joined by former President Donald Trump. This year’s visit to the US comes just weeks before the country goes to the presidential polls in November with a race to the top office between Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, the first woman of Black and Indian heritage.

This year, the high-level General Debate of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly will take place from September 24-30. As per the provisional list of speakers for the General Debate issued by the UN on Monday, India’s “Head of Government” is scheduled to address the high-level session in the afternoon of September 26.

The list is not final and the UN releases updated provisional lists of speakers in the weeks leading up to the high-level session to reflect any modifications in attendance, schedules and speaking slots of leaders, ministers and ambassadors. Modi took oath in June as India’s Prime Minister for a historic third term and last addressed the annual high-level UNGA session in September 2021.

Prime Minister Modi also visited the UN headquarters on June 21 last year, leading the historic Yoga Day commemoration at the North Lawn of the world body’s headquarters before heading to Washington DC for a State Visit hosted by former President Joe Biden.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will present his report before the start of the General Debate, followed by an address by the President of the 79th session of the General Assembly.

Guterres is also convening the ambitious Summit of the Future at UN Headquarters during the high-level week, with the action days slated for September 20-21 and the Summit scheduled on September 22-23.

World leaders will convene at the United Nations to adopt the Pact for the Future, which will include a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations as annexes.

“The Summit is a high-level event, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future,” the UN has said.