'Like Modi, next US President should outline economic growth plan'

New York, May 30: Citing 'Make in India' and 'Start Up India' campaigns for boosting manufacturing and employment, tech giant Cisco's Chairman John Chambers has said the next US President should take a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and outline the plan for growth of the American economy.

Weighing in on the 2016 US presidential race, Chambers said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could be the next US President going by the "current momentum".

He, however, said the next US President, irrespective of the political party, should outline his plans for growing America's economy, leveraging technology and creating jobs just as Modi is doing in India.

"The real key issue is I think the next President should be the person who outlines what Prime Minister Modi is going to do when he comes here in the first week of June," Chambers said at the Bloomberg Breakaway Summit here on May 25.

He said Modi, who will address the US Congress during his June 7-8 visit, is "going to talk about a digital India, about growing its economy not 6-7 per cent a year, which will be the fastest in the world, but at 10 or 11 per cent." [Narendra Modi asked us to make India our home: Cisco head John Chambers]

Chambers said the Prime Minister will also talk about a "digital manufacturing India, a digital start up India" as well as about re-doing regulation and creating a million jobs per month.

Modi will also focus on his government's plan to providing cheap and fast broadband to every citizen in India and to change healthcare and education in the country, he said.

"That is what the national debate should be about. Both parties should win by saying here is how you change your country. We have let America down, we got to change so we are addressing the symptoms here as opposed to the underlying issues," he said.

Chambers added that the person he would like to see lead America as its next President, regardless of political party, should be one who has a plan and focus to "fix America" and grow the economy so that the average American sees a 10-15 per cent pay raise over the next decade.

PTI