This is a deeply important relationship, and I know that these conversations will finally fulfill the great promise of cooperation that was present at India’s birth and which remains evident today
Just a few weeks ago, a truly historic election — 600 million Indians voted in the largest exercise of the franchise in history. And they gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a huge mandate. Not since 1971 has an Indian prime minister been returned to office with a single-party majority, and — to borrow a phrase — he enjoyed an awful lot of winning.
Many observers were surprised by the result, but, frankly, I wasn’t. I’ve been watching closely. My team at the State Department is watching closely. And we knew — that the prime minister was a new kind of leader for the world’s most populous democracy. He is the son of a tea seller who worked his way up to governing a state for 13 years and now leads one of the world’s truly emerging powers.Read More…
