'Modi is the focus, Modi is the outcome'

'It will be like a never-before-visit by an Indian prime minister to America,' a senior diplomat told Rediff.com

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi touches down in New York, on the first leg of an historic visit, Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com speaks to official sources on what to expect from the visit.

What is in store for India and America as Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in New York on Friday?

There are ways and ways of looking at it. A senior diplomat at the ministry of external affairs, who is privy to the preparations for the prime minister's visit, gave a direct and sharp explanation: "Modi is the focus, Modi will be the outcome."

"It will be like a never-before-visit by an Indian prime minister to America," the diplomat said.

Asked why, he said, "There has never been a prime minister like him in India before."

The first Indian prime minister to visit the United States was Jawaharlal Nehru who met President Harry S Truman in 1949. Nehru visited the US again in 1956 and 1961.

"Maybe Americans have taken the view that this PM will have multiple terms in office," the diplomat told Rediff.com in an off-the-record conversation. "They are giving such an impression."

Multiple sources told Rediff.com, "Don't go by the hype of the Madison Square Garden event. The Indian-American community event is in its place, but that is not what the Modi visit is all about. In the shadow of hype, Modi will convey his message to the American political establishment. He means business."

Last week, an official in the Prime Minister's Office told Rediff.com, while preparing for the US visit, "Don't read between the lines unnecessarily. We are clear. India needs America and America needs India. We have to work together."