Howdy, Modi!: Democrats too busy to attend event

Several Democrats including Nancy Pelosi, Tulsi Gabbard and Brad Sherman have said they will be unable to attend the upcoming "Howdy, Modi!" event in Houston, citing prior commitments.

This comes after the White House had announced that President Donald Trump will participate in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's public address on September 22 to showcase the strength of Indo-US partnership.

Following the announcement, many Democrats, who were planning to attend the event, have pulled back.

First to back out was US presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, a member of the Democratic Party of the United States. Gabbard clarified that she won't be able to present at the event due to prior commitments related to her scheduled presidential campaigns but extended a warm welcome to Modi.

Later, Senior Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman's office told ANI that the Congressman also will not be attending the event. This comes as surprise for many as California Democrat had urged his Congressional colleagues to attend Modi's public address.

According to sources, Speaker of the United States House Nancy Pelosi is also giving the event a miss due to personal commitments.

ANI approached the offices of Senior Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland state and Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois for comments on their attendance at the event.

There was no response from either office.

The mega event is believed to be one of the largest events to welcome a foreign head of government ever in the history of the United States.

It will mark the first time that the two leaders would meet outside of either capital Washington DC or New York, where the United Nations is headquartered.

Over 50,000 people have already been registered for the event, which will be hosted by the Texas India Forum.

Moreover, the fact that House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the second-highest-ranking Democrat, will also address the gathering, further reflects the strong bipartisan support for the relationship between the two countries.

(ANI)

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