by SIDDDHARTH VARADARAJAN
Thanks to the efforts and adulation of his fan club in the United States, Narendra Modi looks all set to stage a spectacular public event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. Already, BJP leaders are saying the Prime Minister will attract a larger crowd than any other foreign leader has managed on American soil so far. They’ve forgotten about Fidel Castro, of course, whose dramatic 1959 visit soon after the Cuban Revolution drew crowds of 35,000 at one site alone. The seating capacity at Madison Square Garden, in contrast, is approximately 20,000.
The public event is important for Modi because it will allow the marketing of his visit to the U.S. as a triumph even if there is no dramatic takeaway from either the White House or the United Nations.
Thanks to the efforts and adulation of his fan club in the United States, Narendra Modi looks all set to stage a spectacular public event at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday. Already, BJP leaders are saying the Prime Minister will attract a larger crowd than any other foreign leader has managed on American soil so far. They’ve forgotten about Fidel Castro, of course, whose dramatic 1959 visit soon after the Cuban Revolution drew crowds of 35,000 at one site alone. The seating capacity at Madison Square Garden, in contrast, is approximately 20,000.
The public event is important for Modi because it will allow the marketing of his visit to the U.S. as a triumph even if there is no dramatic takeaway from either the White House or the United Nations.
Quartz for more
(Thanks to Robin Khundkar)