From New York Times to POLITICO: How US media covered PM Modi’s speech

A host of US media outlets covered Narendra Modi’s speech to US Congressmen at Capitol Hill. A lot of Congressmen hailed the speech, House Speaker Paul Ryan called it ‘eloquent’ and several members even clamoured for autographs, reminiscent of the time Bill Clinton spoke to the two houses of the Indian Parliament in March, 2000.

Here’s how prominent media outlets reacted to Modi’s speech:

The New York Times

The New York Times, which carried the photo of Modi surrounded by autograph-seeking politicians on its front page, wrote in an article titled 'US and India Mark a New Moment in Relations as Narendra Modi Speaks to Congress': “Mr. Modi made clear that he intended the speech to hail a new moment in relations between the United States and India when he told Congress at the outset that he had started his visit to Washington with a trip to Arlington National Cemetery.”

The NYT observed that past Indian leaders were sceptical of American military power and critical of the Vietnam War and other military interventions. The article said: “Celebrating American war dead, though, was a telling signal of what both sides say is a very different relationship between the two countries.”

Read the full article.

NYT's front page on June 9, 2016.

Washington Post

Meanwhile, the Washington Post focussed on Modi evoking Martin Luther King Jr in a piece titled 'Addressing Congress, Modi calls for closer relations between India and U.S.'. The article observed: “Modi struck a different tone Wednesday, hailing Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent civil disobedience and its influence on the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., drawing a standing ovation from members of Congress. Modi said the proximity of the King memorial and the statue of Gandhi on Massachusetts Avenue “mirrors the closeness of ideals and values they believe in.”"

The article also spoke about Modi addressing Congress as ‘a temple of democracy’ and stressed on the importance of the US-India strategic partnership.

Read the full article.

USA Today

In a piece titled 'India's Modi tells Congress that U.S. is 'indispensable' partner', the USA Today observed that Modi called "USA 'an indispensable partner’ in creating a stronger, more prosperous India that is in the best interest of both nations". They added: “Modi, who was interrupted frequently with enthusiastic applause from lawmakers, also urged Congress to work more closely with India to combat the terrorists that threaten both countries.”

They touched upon Modi’s rise from poverty, and observed that both nations "share concerns about China's growing military clout, especially that nation's apparent construction of military installations in disputed territory in the South China Sea".

Read the full article here.

CNN

In a piece titled 'Modi addresses Congress as U.S.-India ties bloom', CNN remembered the time Indo-US relations had a hit an all-time low thanks to Devyani Khobragade issue in 2013. They wrote: “It would have been hard to imagine three years ago, when U.S.-India relations were in tatters over the arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York for visa fraud and underpaying her housekeeper.”

Adding that the tide had turned after Modi’s election in 2014, they observed: “With the Indian leader's election in 2014, the tide has definitively turned -- thanks to determined effort, a growing strategic alignment and the striking odd-couple chemistry between the barrel-chested, bear-hugging Modi and his cool, often restrained American counterpart, President Barack Obama.”

Read the full piece here.

POLITICO

In a piece titled, India's Modi expresses confidence U.S. ties can weather 'cycle of elections', wrote: “Modi’s address to the joint session caps a U.S. trip intended to fortify ties between the world’s two largest democracies. The Indian prime minister mostly stayed away from election year politics in his address, except to express confidence that the progress made in forging a U.S.-Indian connection will not be undone by either presidential candidate.”

The piece also observed: “Modi sprinkled a handful of laugh lines into his address, especially when drawing cultural connections between the two nations and praising America’s large Indian community as a “dynamic bridge”.”

The article also called India’s pledge to ratify the Paris climate agreement by the end of the year, the ‘tangible process to emerge from his visit’.

Read the full article here.