Betting high on CM,US lawmaker calls him ‘PM’

“After the meeting with your CM,I found he is humble,visionary and wise. He is someone who is also good at execution…your PM has that,” she said,before hastening to add,“OK,I’ll cut it out”.

The Congresswoman said more US lawmakers and business leaders needed to visit Gujarat where Modi had built an economy that is “lasting and sustainable”.

Rodgers is currently the highest-ranking Republican woman in the Congress and serves as the Chair of the House Republican Conference.

Aaron Schock,the Republican Congressman from Illinois who led the delegation to Gujarat,also lavished praise on Modi. “Gujarat has a record growth of 10 per cent,which is higher than that of India’s national average. We in the US can only hope for 1 per cent GDP growth. Gujarat is most receptive for forging investments. We are impressed with the state having around 40-plus institutes of higher education. I am sure the people of Gujarat have elected Narendra Modi four times on the basis of what he does and not just by what he says,” he said.

Asked why the delegation was not meeting any Congress leaders,Shalabh Kumar,chairman of National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI) who facilitated their visit,said,“People like to meet like-minded people. In our opinion,Republicans are centre-right in the US while BJP is centre-right here and Congress is left-democratic. Modi is more right,hence there is a natural affinity between the right people.”

On the question of a US visa for Modi,Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly,who is accompanying the delegation on its Gujarat visit,said,“This is a very important gesture by the young lawmakers gathered here from the US,who have given an invite to Modi. They are very powerful people who will work on the other side with their colleagues over granting a visa to Modi. This will happen in the next two months.”