U.S. Eager To Engage Modi Government: Congressional Report

WASHINGTON: The U.S., which had shunned Narendra Modi for nearly 10 years, is eager to engage India's new government led by him and re-energize what some see as a flagging relationship, according to a new Congressional report. Modi "is known as a strong-willed and effective, if perhaps autocratic, administrator," said the background report for U.S. lawmakers.

"His reputation has been burnished by Gujarat's impressive economic performance during his 15-year tenure," it said noting the state accounts for more than 20 percent of all Indian exports while being home to only 5 percent of the population," it said.

The report on "India's New Government and Implications for U.S. Interests" has been penned by K. Alan Kronstadt, specialist in South Asian affairs, for the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS).

"Garnering an outright majority in Parliament for the first time in 30 years, Modi's new government promises fresh U.S. engagement with an Indian leader reputed to be more pro-trade and pro-business than the socialist-oriented ones of the past," it said.

Modi, the report noted had also vowed to "implement a more assertive Indian foreign policy that could see the country shift away from its traditional 'non-alignment' approach to global politics."

President Barack Obama and other top U.S. officials "have expressed an interest in revitalizing bilateral fora so as to further boost trade and investment flows, deepen security cooperation, and otherwise solidify the geopolitical alignment with India."

READ MORE: Manmohan Singh Immune As PM, Not As FM: U.S. Court

India Should Stay Ahead Of World In Technology: PM