This is why Houston was 'smartest' decision by PM's team for Howdy, Modi mega event
New Delhi, Sep 23: PM Modi's unprecedented and unconventional decision of choosing 'Houston' in US other than Washington DC, New York, etc is being praised by many.
Will let you know how important Texas is for India and why Narendra Modi chose Houston for his mega-event Howdy, Modi!:
Economy:
The
economy
of
Texas
is
the
second-largest
in
the
United
States.
It
has
a
gross
state
product
of
$1.645
trillion
(2017),
after
California.
Houston
most
populous
in
Texas.
The
capital
of
Texas
is
Austin,
but
it's
noteworthy
how
Austin
was
given
a
short-shrift
and
coastal
city,
Houston,
which
is
also
the
most
populous
city
in
the
state,
was
chosen
for
a
mega-event
like
this.
Houston-Jammu and Kashmir connection:
The coastal city, Houston is important for the US as it is the fourth most populous city of the country and most populous in Texas.
PM Modi's greeting to Kashmir Pandit community in Houston shows that Kashmir matters to him even during his international visit and his approach towards the development of Jammu and Kashmir is clear after revoking Article 370.
Houston was a smart decision by Modi's team as Jammu and Kashmir and Texas share similar histories. And Houston is symbolic for Texas' history.
Texas was part of Mexico till 1836. It rebelled against Mexico and declared independence in 1836 as the Republic of Texas. This happened under the leadership of Samuel Houston, who was born in America and had settled in Mexican Texas in the early 1830s after a brief political stint in the US.
Later, it completely merged into the United States as the 28th state of the nation. Like Pakistan, Mexico too did not recognise the independence of Texas and went on to war in this matter.
Indian Community
Texas,
being
one
of
the
few
areas
in
the
US
that
are
growing
rapidly
and
creating
jobs,
attracts
a
substantial
proportion
of
the
roughly
65,000-80,000
Indians
who
go
to
America
on
an
H-1B
visa
annually.
It is also home to around 1.3 lakh Indian-Americans who are contributing to the political and business landscape of the US.
Recommended Video
Critical to Trump’s 2020 election
According to a Reuters report, Houston is a rare Democratic stronghold in Republican-dominated Texas and serves as the economic anchor of a state that will be critical to Trump's 2020 re-election. Polls show tepid support by Indian-American voters, some 75% of whom voted for his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, in 2016.