After a successful yoga event at the UN headquarters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the US Congress on Thursday. He is the only Indian Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the Senate, one of the highest honors Washington twice bestows on foreign dignitaries.
Responding to the invitation, Prime Minister Modi reportedly thanked Speaker Kevin McCarthy, adding: “I am honored to accept and look forward to once again addressing a joint meeting of Congress. We are proud to our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership with the United States, which is based on a commitment to lasting peace and prosperity for all people, strong people-to-people ties, and shared democratic ideals.”
List of Indian Prime Ministers who addressed the UN Congress
The legislative body of the federal government of the United States is known as the United States Congress. It is bicameral, with the House of Representatives as the lower body and the Senate as the higher body. The legislative assembly is known as Congress.
1. Jawahar Lal Nehru
Jawahar Lal Nehru was the first Indian minister to address the United States Congress in 1949. He spoke to the crowd for 15 minutes, in the presence of President Harry S. Truman. Discussing the similarities between the United States and India, he stated: “Therefore, I have come here on a journey of discovery of the mind and heart of America and to introduce you to our own mind and heart. In this way we will be able to promote that understanding and cooperation that, I am sure, both countries fervently desire.”
2. Rajiv Gandhi
On June 13, 1985, Rajiv Gandhi was the first to address the joint meeting of the Congress. Some excerpts from his speech are: “There are many ties that unite our two peoples. Some are the curiosities of history. You gained your independence while we were losing ours and many of the people involved were the same. We wish that Elihu Yale had founded a university for us instead of being governor of Madras, and that Lord Cornwallis had surrendered at Delhi instead of General Washington. It was Indian tea that stimulated their independence movement. I do not know how many of the waters surrounding Boston are still marked by that historic incident, but – and I am sure, Mr. President, that you will correct me if I am wrong – today there are thousands of people of Indian origin in your city, as in the entire United States. , who are making notable contributions to their society, including the third Indian-born Nobel Prize winner.”
3. P. V. Narasimha Rao
On May 18, 1994, PV Narasimha Rao addressed the Congress. He emphasized the relationship between India and the United States and focused on the idea of mutual growth. In his speech, he said: “As India stands ready to contribute to global prosperity and peace in the next century, we look forward to continuing our partnership with Americans and the American people.
The international community needs to strengthen the United Nations and provide more resources if we expect it to respond to current challenges. We also feel strongly that the UN decision-making bodies must more accurately reflect the regional situation of the world’s states.”
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
On September 14, 2000, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, India’s first Prime Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), gave a speech to the United States Congress. He began his speech by thanking her and went on to say: “In November 1999, a remarkable event took place in the House of Representatives. By 396 votes to 4, the House adopted a resolution congratulating India and my government on the successful elections held in October 1999. This show of broad bipartisan support for strengthening relations with India is encouraging.
…We are determined to maintain the momentum of our economy: our goal is to double our per capita income in ten years, and that means we must grow at 9 percent a year.
To achieve this order of growth we have initiated comprehensive reforms. We are committed to unleashing the creative genius of our people, the entrepreneurial capacity of the country’s men and women, its scientists and artisans. At the same time, we in India remain committed to the primacy of the State in discharging its social obligations to the dispossessed, the weak and the poor…”
5. Manmohan Singh
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the fifth Indian Prime Minister to address the US Congress. On July 19, 2025, while addressing the House, he said: “In addition to the values we share as democracies, there is also a convergence in our perceptions of a rapidly changing global environment, bringing us much closer now than in any moment. last.”
6. Narendra Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will become the first Indian prime minister to have the honor of addressing a joint session of the US Congress twice. The Prime Minister, during his speech in 2016, spoke on issues ranging from climate change to terrorism, defense and security cooperation and trade and economic relations between India and the United States.
Each prime minister has described the goals and successes of their economic policies and their efforts to improve international relations. Additionally, top Indian leaders have frequently advocated for technology aid, transfers or partnerships, citing the United States as a key technology provider.
List of all Prime Ministers of India (1947-2023)
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Source: ptivs2.edu.vn