Congress: PM Modi invited to address US Congress during June 22 state visit

WASHINGTON: “Washington is broken” is a familiar lament to describe the political dysfunction is the US Capital. But there’s one issue warring Democrats and Republicans are united on: Furthering strong ties with India.
The sentiment found expression again on Friday when US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, backed by bipartisan leadership of both the House and Senate, invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the US Congress during his state visit to the White House on June 22.

The invitation, also signed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (Democrat from New York), Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell ( Republican from Kentucky) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (Democrat from New York) invited PM Modi to share his “vision for India’s future and speak to the global challenges both our countries face.”
The invitation comes a week after the co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Congressman Ro Khanna (Democrat from California) and Congressman Michael Waltz (Republican from Florida), wrote to McCarthy urging him to extend the invite to the Indian leader.

If PM Modi accepts, it will be a unique double for him: it will be his second address to the joint session of Congress after one in 2016.
Five Indian Prime Ministers have addressed the US Congress before him: Manmohan Singh, Atal Behari Vajpayee, P.V.Narasimha Rao, Rajiv Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru.
The invitation to the Indian Prime Minister comes amid withering criticism from Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi during his ongoing tour of US of PM Modi’s purported authoritarianism, an assessment the US establishment does not appear to share despite occasional disapproval of strongarm majoritarianism.