Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the US on Tuesday, got a rousing welcome from the Indian diaspora who gathered in front of the Hotel Lotte in New York, chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai", and waving Indian flags.
Modi, who is visiting the US from June 21-24 at the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, then met prominent US personalities from different walks of life, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk. The meeting comes amid talks about Tesla's plans to enter the Indian market.
Musk, who spoke to the media after the meeting, said his talks with the prime minister were excellent. He added that he was a fan of Modi and stated that Modi "really cares about India because he is pursuing us to make a significant investment in India."
On Tesla's entry into the market, Musk said he is planning to visit the country next year. "I am confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as humanly possible," he said. "I would like to thank the prime minister for his support and hopefully we will be able to announce something in the not-so-distant future," Musk said.
"We do not want to jump the gun on an announcement but I think it is quite likely that it will be a significant investment in our relationship with India," the Tesla CEO said.
On Twitter's former owner Jack Dorsey's recent allegations against the Indian government, Elon Musk said Twitter does not have a choice but to follow the local government. "Or it will get shut down," Musk, Twitter's current owner, added.
"The best we can do is to follow the laws in any given country," he said, adding that it is impossible for "us to do more than that". "There are different rules and regulations for different forms of governments, and we will do our best to provide the freest speech that is possible under the law", Musk said.
Besides Musk, Modi also met include astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nobel laureate economist Paul Romer, author Nicholas Nassim Taleb, investor Ray Dalio and author Robert AF Thurman. The Prime Minister would also meet over two dozen thought leaders from various walks of life, including Nobel laureates, economists, artists, scientists, scholars, entrepreneurs, academicians and health sector experts.
Taleb after meeting Modi said, "I commended India for its response to Covid and how India has very efficiently dealt with it. Discussed risk-taking and anti-fragility with the prime minister."
Dalio said "Modi is a man whose time has come when India's time has come". "Potential of India is enormous and you have now have a reformer who has the ability to transform. India and Prime Minister Modi are at a juncture in which lot of opportunities will be created," he said.
In a video statement, Tyson also praised Modi, saying the sky is not the limit for him and describing the prime minister as "scientifically thoughtful". "Priorities might be out of balance for many world leaders but Prime Minister Modi cares for many things, including solutions. I am not alone when I say that potential what India can accomplish knows no limit," the astrophysicist said.
Modi is also scheduled to observe the International Day of Yoga at the United Nations headquarters here with the UN leadership and members of the international community. Representatives of over 188 countries are expected to attend the exercise.