Indian PMs in US: Manmohan tops the chart with 8 visits while Vajpayee visited 4 times

US President Barack Obama on Saturday embarked on his highly anticipated three-day landmark trip to India during which the two countries will strive to make progress on climate change, defence and economic cooperation.

Obama, who is just over midway into his second term, will be the first US president to be present as the chief guest in the R-Day celebration and also the first incumbent of the White House to visit India twice.

Obama will participate on January 26, 2015 in the Republic Day celebration as the chief guest along with the First Lady. Prime Minister Narendra Modi who visited United States in September had invited Obama to be guest of honour at Republic Day this year.

During this, let's have a look at all Indian Prime Ministers who visited United States on an official visit.

Jawaharlal Nehru
The first Prime Minister of independent India went to the US in 1949 and then in 1956 during this time he visited Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi visited US three times as the Prime Minister of India.

Her first visit was on March 28, 1966 when Lyndon B. Johnson was the US President. She visited Williamsburg and New York City then. Her second visit was in 1971. Richard Nixon was the President of US during her second visit.

Indira Gandhi's last visit to US was on July 27, 1982. This time she visited New York, Los Angeles, and Honolulu.

Morarji Desai
Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai went to US in 1978. During his official tour, he visited New York, San Francisco and Omaha. Jimmy Carter was the President of US during that time.

Rajiv Gandhi

Rajiv Gandhi first visited US in 1985 and then in 1987. During his first visit, he spent four days in Washington and one day in Houston.

Rajiv Gandhi visited US four times as the Prime Minister.

P V Narasimha Rao

The visit to the US by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in 1994 marked the onset of improved US-India relations. Rao first visited US in January, 1992.

He again visited US in May 17, 1994 when he addressed a joint meeting of US Congress and also visited Houston and Boston.

Inder Kumar Gujral

Inder Gujral visited US in 1997 where he met President Bill Clinton at the UN General Assembly.

Gujral visited US on September 22, 1997.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited the U.S. four times during his five years in office, twice in 2001 and once each in 2002 and 2003.

During Vajpayee's visit to the US, democracy once against appeared to take the centre stage of Indo-US relationship.
In his first visit on September 13, 2000 he addressed Joint Session of the US Congress.

Dr Manmohan Singh

Dr Manmohan worked towards fostering stronger ties with the United States. He visited the US on no less than seven occasions.
He met with President Bush at the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21, 2004. He made official visits in July 20, 2005 and September 23, 2008. On his fourth and fifth visit, Manmohan attended the G-20 Economic Summit Meeting.

On his seventh visit he attended the Nuclear Security Summit on April 11, 2010. Singh visited US again in September 27, 2013.

Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited US in September 2014. Extending a formal invitation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a visit to the US, President Barack Obama had expressed keenness to work closely with him to make the bilateral relations a "defining partnership" in the 21st century.

In the first leg of his five-day US trip, Modi spent four days in New York, where he addressed the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 27, and stormed the Indian American community by addressing the diaspora with a packed Madison Square Garden in the Big Apple on September 28.