Is the Obama-Modi friendship real? In India, many doubt it

Expressing his gratitude at the return of the ancient treasures, the Prime Minister told IANS: “We are very grateful to the government of the USA and the President for returning a part of our culture”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come in for praise from the White House over India’s fight against climate change ahead of his meeting with US President Barack Obama on Tuesday. “My deepest gratitude to the Emir of Qatar for the gesture”.

He is visiting the United States at the invitation of Obama, who in the past year of his presidency is inviting a few world leaders with whom he shared a “close and productive working relationship”.

Obama, Modi confirm Nuclear Power Corporation Of India and Westinghouse will finalise contractual arrangements by June 2017. After lunch he held meeting with the father Emir and also interacted with the Indian community.

The two leaders also resolved to work together at the upcoming International Civil Aviation Organisation Assembly to reach a successful outcome to address greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation.

US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter accompanied the Prime Minister.

Saluting the ultimate courage, PM Modi also offered tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery and interacted with thinktanks in Washington. US lawmakers say it’s still too hard for Americans to invest in India, even with some easing of restrictions under Modi.

However, while the USA has pledged to join as soon as possible, India has made no such public pronouncements, underscoring a concern the Modi-led government has aired in the past regarding the perceived lack of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

It’s a refrain heard repeatedly among India’s political analysts, who see calculation instead of genuine affection, with an Indian leader carefully shaping the country’s political narrative by putting himself at the center of any diplomatic achievement.

Modi will begin his USA visit by paying tributes at the Arlington National Cemetery. The second visit had been a state visit that included a meeting with Obama at the White House.

American officials largely avoided contact with him until the 2014 elections over suspicions that he was involved in the rioting or did not do enough to stop them.

Modi has a packed schedule here, including the address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

From a bronze Ganesh to a Jain figure of Bahubali, the USA has returned more than 200 pieces of rare cultural artefacts to India during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Read: Smart politics or true friendship?

In many ways, the Washington-New Delhi relationship has not lived up to its potential since a landmark 2008 nuclear energy agreement. It is being expected that India and the United States may enter many defense agreements.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India and U.S. firm Westinghouse have also agreed to begin engineering and site design work for six nuclear power plant reactors in India. “Expect to see Modi highlight and defend his government’s two-year record on the economy and make a pitch for US businesses to increase their involvement in India – particularly some of Modi’s flagship initiatives such as “Make in India” and ‘Digital India'”.