New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with a bipartisan United States Congressional delegation led by Congressman Michael McCaul on Thursday. The delegation, currently visiting India, includes former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The meeting follows the delegation’s visit to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama at his residence in Dharamshala on Wednesday. Pelosi expressed her support for the Tibetan people in a post on X, stating, “Today, it was my honor to join a bipartisan Congressional delegation to meet with His Holiness, the 14th @DalaiLama, in Dharamsala, India. In our meeting, we strongly reaffirmed Congressional support for the people of Tibet.”
The delegation comprises U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Nicole Malliotakis, Ami Bera, and Jim McGovern. They also met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra on Wednesday night.
Jaishankar expressed his gratitude for the delegation’s “strong and continued” support for the strategic partnership between India and the U.S. In a post on X, he stated, “Pleasure to meet with the bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation led by @RepMcCaul. Thank @SpeakerPelosi, @RepGregoryMeeks, @RepMMM, @NMalliotakis, @RepBera, and @RepMcGovern for joining. Appreciate their strong and continued support for the strategic partnership.”
The U.S. Congressional delegation arrived in India on Tuesday and was welcomed by officials of the Central Tibetan Administration at Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra Airport. The lawmakers then traveled to Dharamshala to meet the Dalai Lama. During the visit, McCaul presented the Dalai Lama with a framed copy of ‘The Resolve Tibet Act,’ a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress to enhance U.S. support for Tibet.
Last week, the U.S. Congress passed a bill urging Beijing to re-engage with the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan leaders to peacefully resolve their dispute over the status and governance of Tibet. Before meeting the Dalai Lama, the U.S. delegates attended a public felicitation program at the main Tibetan temple. Children performed and displayed Tibetan culture during the ceremony at the Tsuglagkhang Complex in Dharamshala.
The Dalai Lama presented a Buddha statue to Pelosi at the end of the meeting with the U.S. Congressional delegation, according to his office.
This visit underscores the strong ties and mutual support between the US and India, as well as the continued advocacy for Tibetan rights and culture on the international stage.
