india

Updated: Jul 03, 2020 01:57 IST

The bonhomie between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US president Donald Trump was on full display at the mega event in Houston on Sunday. Addressing the huge crowd at the ‘Howdy, Modi!’ event at the NRG arena, Trump talked about the close cooperation between the two countries and then the latest US export to India— NBA basketball.

India, Trump said, has access to the finest products in the worlds that are marked ‘Made in USA’. “Wow, sounds good. Next week, thousands of people will gather in Mumbai to watch the first-ever NBA basketball game in India,” the president said.

“Am I invited, Mr Prime Minister? I may come, be careful, I may come,” he said jokingly, which evoked laughter from Prime Minster Modi as well.

Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers will play two pre-season games on October 4 and 5 in Mumbai. The NBA has invited 3,000 boys and girls from more than 70 participating Reliance Foundation Jr. NBA schools in Mumbai to attend the event.

At the event in Houston, attended by over 50,000 Indian-Americans, Trump applauded their contribution to the world of technology. “Indian-Americans are helping revolutionize technology to change the world and improving lives,” he said.

PM Modi cheered for Trump’s bid for re-election in 2020 and tweaked his own election slogan to ‘Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar’.

Trump and Modi took the stage in Houston amid cheers, slogans and drumbeats. The leaders of the two biggest democracies in the world walked together to the stage with their hands clasped, sending out a strong message of unity.

With Trump in audiance, the Prime Minister also took a swipe at Pakistan for supporting terror and criticized it for its rhetoric on Jammu and Kashmir. Islamabad has been targeting India over its decision to nullify Article 370 that gave special status to J&K. Modi said the government’s move on Article 370 has caused trouble to those who cannot handle their own country.