Backers of Controversial Gujarat Politician Plan Massive Public Meeting
India Post, News Report, N.C. Srirekha, Posted: Mar 18, 2005
NEW YORK: More than 100 organizations in the Tri-State area have come together under the umbrella of the Association of Indian Americans of North America (AIANA) to organize a public meeting in honor of the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi. The event is scheduled to be held at Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden on March 20.
At a press conference on Thursday in New York, AIANA leaders representing various local, regional, religious, educational, cultural and social associations, said that the Chief Minister, who was originally scheduled to attend only the annual convention of the Asian American Hotel Owners’ Association (AAHOA) in Florida (March 24), heeded to their requests and changed his itinerary to visit New York first and meet with the community here.
Accompanied by about 20 business delegates, Modi is also slated to meet with potential investors and representatives of various chambers of commerce, arranged in consultation with AT Kearney, the official business consultants for Gujarat government in the US.
Several like-minded organizations have taken the initiative to make the proposed public event a success, especially in view of opposition to Modi’s visit to the US by a section of the Indian American community that hold him accountable to the crippling communal riots in Gujarat in 2002. Insisting that Modi enjoyed an overwhelming support among overseas Indians, the leaders of AIANA sought to emphasize that the visit was a business trip and not a political one.
“Gujarat State has a tremendous potential for tourism and investment opportunities in various sectors such as telecommunications,” Sunil Nayak, a hotelier and event co-chair said explaining why there was a clamor to invite Modi.
“There is a large Gujarati population in the US, a majority of whom are entrepreneurs and in the hotel industry.” “Controversies apart, we are welcoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat and not an individual,” said Dr. Naveen Mehta, one of the event sponsors.” We want our people here to know the kind of dynamic leadership that exists in India today. We want them to know about our leaders, and under Modi’s leadership Gujarat is progressing at a lion’s pace.”
“People are asking why we are organizing such a huge event,” said Dr. Sudhir Parikh, another sponsor. “We want them to hear it straight from Modi about the economic success of the state and invite more businesses to Gujarat.” Referring to the controversy over the Chief Minister’s US visit, Dr. Mukund Modi, veteran Overseas Friends of BJP leader said, “Controversies are nothing new. I remember when the Kashmir problem was at its peak, we had invited Dr. Jagmohan, then governor of (J&K) and there was a huge controversy here. The Gujarat riots were not the first riots in India. There have been riots since independence and Partition; the worst riots were the Sikh riots after former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi was assassinated. I am not minimalizing what happened in Gujarat. We hang our head in shame when we think of it but Chief Minister Modi has tremendous support from Gujarat and even from overseas Indians.”
Dr. Modi said that when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited New York last year, organizers had a tough time gathering 500 people for his public meeting. “But for Narendra Modi, we are afraid how we are going to accommodate the turnout that is expected at Madison Square Garden.” Transportation from various points in the Tri-State area is being organized to mobilize the community to fill the 5,600 people capacity Madison Square Garden. MSG was also an ideal venue for security arrangements for the chief minister, the organizers said.
“When we contracted Madison Square Garden we informed them about the controversy and the possibility of demonstrations outside and they have assured us that they are capable of handling security,” Sunil Nayak explained. “Ethnic meetings and conventions are a regular feature there and the authorities are used to dealing with protesters on a routine basis.” AIANA is an organization formed primarily for the purpose of organizing the public event for Modi, and is not a registered organization, Dr. Parikh clarified adding that this organization is likely to be disbanded once the event is over.
Meanwhile, another organization formed specifically for the purpose of protesting against Modi’s visit — the Tristate Coalition against Genocide — has announced that it would hold an awareness program, a protest rally and a demonstration against Modi. They have petitioned the Indian Prime Minister and the Mayor of New York City stating that Modi’s presence here would bring back painful memories of the riots in Gujarat. The Madison Square Garden event is free for the public. Admission passes will be distributed through the supporting organizations as well as at some key locations, Sudhakar Reddy, one of the main event coordinators said.
Modi has been denied a U.S. visa since this story was published.
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