WASHINGTON:
In what was his first formal official meeting after arriving here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Tulsi Gabbard fresh off from her Senate victory confirming her as the Director of National Intelligence.
Following the meeting on Wednesday night, PM Modi posted X: “Congratulated her on her confirmation. Discussed various aspects of the India-USA friendship, of which she’s always been a strong votary.”
Gabbard overcame strong opposition and scepticism to win the Senate vote on Wednesday for her confirmation for the nation’s top intelligence job and was sworn in just hours before meeting PM Modi.
She received 52 votes to 48, with only one Republican, Senator Mitch McConnell, joining the Democrats to vote against her.
She is an American Hindu with parents who have embraced the faith.
Some of those opposed to her used her religion in their campaign against her.
During her 11 years in the House of Representatives, she was a strong supporter of India.
She was the co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
She also served on the House Intelligence Subcommittee and the Armed Forces Committee.
A former Vice President of the Democratic Party, she left the party and joined the Republican Party and campaigned for Trump last year.
Attorney General Pam Bondi administered the oath of office to Gabbard, who Trump called “an American of extraordinary courage and patriotism”.
He noted that she was deployed three times in the Army National Guard and that she is a former Democratic Congresswoman, riffing, “Can you believe that?”
Gabbard, 43, a former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii, had faced bipartisan scepticism about her suitability for overseeing the spy agencies.
Gabbard thanked the President for his trust in her and vowed to “refocus our intelligence community” after she was sworn in.
“Unfortunately, the American people have very little trust in the intelligence community, largely because they’ve seen the weaponisation and politicisation of an entity that is supposed to be purely focused on ensuring our national security,” the new Intelligence Chief said.
She has met PM Modi several times in the past, and after a meeting in 2019, she said, “India is the world’s largest democracy and one of the United States most important partners in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“It is important that we continue to strengthen this partnership between our two nations that has long had support from both Democrat and Republican leaders,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in a post on X that discussions during Wednesday’s meeting also focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity, and emerging threats.
“PM Narendra Modi held a productive meeting with US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in Washington DC today. Discussions focused on enhancing intelligence cooperation in counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and emerging threats,” the post said.
PM Modi arrived in the US capital on Wednesday around 5.30 p.m. (Thursday, 4 a.m. IST) after a visit to France, where he had co-chaired the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit with French President Emmanuel Macron.
PM Modi and Trump will hold bilateral discussions in the White House on Thursday.
“Our nations will keep working closely for the benefit of our people and for a better future for our planet,” PM Modi said on X.
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