Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the biggest tech companies in Silicon Valley, including Google, Facebook and Microsoft. But, it seems no matter where he goes or what he does, he will forever be unable to shake off the presumed responsibility of the 2002 Gujarat Riots.
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Modi also vowed to improve education for girls and “bring more women into decision-making” in his country, while responding to a handful of questions during a carefully orchestrated session led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
“We cannot let 21st century to be stained with terrorism”, Modi said, adding that he would be raising the issue again before the United Nations tomorrow when he is scheduled to address a UN Peacekeeping Summit.
Technology executives, eager to expand into India with its 1.3-billion population, embraced Mr Modi’s initiative, with CEOs from Facebook, Google and Tesla Motors all hosting him at their headquarters.
Mr Modi delighted them by freeing them from the guilt of “brain drain”, saying he rather saw their stay and work in Silicon valley as “brain deposit” which would one day be returned to India with interest.
Mr Modi, 65, was the first Indian leader to visit the West Coast in more than 30 years.
Recognising that a Digital India could not be built without bridging the digital divide, he listed out the measures taken by his government to bridge this digital divide.
“The Congress demands a proper probe into all this”, he said, adding that Modi was “misusing” his state visits by getting public events organised.
The Washington Post said Silicon Valley had become “a must-see destination for world leaders“.
Welcoming the progress in Joint Strategic Vision on Asia, Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions, the prime minister said “I look forward to working with the US for India’s early membership of Asian Pacific Economic Community”. “Your skill and commitment is wonderful”, he told the Indian-Americans. Most countries do not know where to invest.
The company plans to use “white space” technology for the project, which is a new way of delivering more robust connections wirelessly by taking advantage of unused slices of spectrum previously reserved for television broadcasts.
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“The President and I share an uncompromising commitment on climate change without affecting our ability to meet the development aspirations of humanity”, said PM Modi.
