PM Modi meeting Trump will help iron out existing bilateral concerns: Indian-American community

The Indian-American community here is enthusiastically awaiting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit and is hopeful that his first official meeting with President Donald Trump on Sunday will go a long way in ironing out existing bilateral concerns between the two nations.

A majority of them were excited and anxious about the expected meeting between the leaders of the world's oldest and largest democracies.

Among the issues likely to be addressed during the visit of Prime Minister Modi are recent hate crimes against Indians, the H1-B visas issue and terrorism etc.

Washington-based community leader Prasad Addapa said the Trump Administration here is helping the Indian-American community and addressing their concerns.

"In the month of March, I led the protest in front of the White House and presented a memorandum to Trump's representative. They were sympathetic to our cause, including the Congress," Addapa told ANI.

Addapa, however, expressed the view that he would like to see Prime Minister Modi discuss most of the concerns of the Indian-American community with President Trump.

"There are three important issues that concern the Indian-American community today. First is the H1B visa situation because Trump is for America first, and with that, there will be cuts in jobs. By the same time, it is also a little oxymoron. What I learnt is nobody from India is stopped for a job visa. They are stopping student visas, but not the job visas.Secondly, Prime Minister Modi will also talk about the recent hate crimes against Indians. So, we will get to know the measures which the administration will take," he said.

Another Washington D.C. community leader Atma Singh said when the two great world leaders will meet they will put humanity and the world on top.

"Trump says 'America first', Prime Minister Modi says 'India first', so, when two such world leaders will meet, then it will 'humanity first, world first', because, both countries have become very close to each other," Singh told ANI.

Singh further said that both countries are affected by terrorism and will have to work to combat it together.

"The main issue is of terrorism, as both the countries are affected by it. Both countries will have to work on it," he said.

These views in Washington were expressed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi left from New Delhi for his three-nation tour this morning.

Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Portugal before arriving in the United States on a three-day visit. He will thereafter head for The Netherlands for a one day visit before returning home on June 27/28.