Howdy, as most of us know, is the common way of greeting in Texas. In simple English, Howdy, means ‘How are you?’ Therefore, ‘Howdy Modi’ simply means, ‘How are you, Modi?’
These types of events are the secret weapon that Modi has been using successfully to create a positive impact in whichever country he has visited in the past five years. The diaspora, on the other hand, is delighted with Modi for giving them facilities such as relaxation in visa norms, ease of doing business and merging the OCI and PIO cards.
Narendra Modi also met the leaders of the energy sector in the USA, he had a chat with the Sikh community and he even met a delegation of Kashmiri Pandits, who spoke in support of the steps that are being taken in Kashmir. Hence, they are looking forward to Modi standing by the side of US President Donald Trump when the two share the dais.
It would help both the leaders politically by creating a win-win situation for them. For Prime Minister Modi, it is the biggest moment to share the dais with the world’s most powerful leader. It will boost his domestic and international prestige and give him some relief on the Kashmir issue, which will be raised by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan at the UN General Assembly meeting later this month.
And on the other hand, Donald Trump is preparing for next year’s presidential election race and looking for support. The affluent Indian community is his target and he hopes to elucidate them by his participation at the ‘Howdy Modi’ event. With his declining popularity rating in the opinion polls, making any dent will be good. He also hopes that the affluent Indian-Americans will support him with liberal donations.
The diaspora, which garnered wealth through the computer and Internet revolution, is the third-largest Asian American group after the Chinese and Philippines and has emerged as a significant vote bank.
Converting the diaspora into an effective tool of India’s foreign policy has been Modi’s key achievement. The prime minister believes that Indian-Americans are important to India’s growth story. Now let’s just see, how this event will help Modi in satisfying his political ambitions.
The Howdy Modi event is to take place at the NRG Stadium and will start at 8:45 pm IST. After the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will fly back to New York.