Tulsi Gabbard out of ‘Howdy Modi!’
The HinduU.S. lawmaker and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard confirmed on Wednesday that she will not attend the Howdy Modi event in Houston this Sunday, but hopes to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his week-long stay in New York. Denying a report that Ms. Gabbard had decided to pull out of the event over concerns about the government’s actions in Kashmir, she said in a tweet that she cancelled her appearance in Houston over “scheduled presidential campaign events.” “However I’m hoping to meet PM Modi on his visit to discuss the importance of maintaining the strong partnership of the world’s oldest & largest democracies,” she wrote. Others suggested that Ms. Gabbard’s decision to pull out may have followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to join Mr. Modi at the rally for Indian-Americans, and that other Democratic Party members may have reservations about appearing with Mr. Trump. Organisers said the details are still being worked out, but a plan by PM Modi to drive around the stadium as he did at the event in San Jose in 2015 may be dropped, given U.S. Secret Service concerns with the American President’s participation. While Mr. Trump has abandoned reference to “mediating” between India and Pakistan in recent weeks, he made another statement on Tuesday suggesting that he will be meeting both PM Modi and Pakistani PM Imran Khan in the next week, indicating he still hasn’t given up the idea of pushing the two leaders on resolving issues.