'Democracy runs in our veins': At White House, PM Modi shuts down 'democracy dying' debate

PM Modi in US: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said "Democracy is in India's DNA" and there is no discrimination at all against anybody in the country. He said government benefits are given to all who deserve them without any discrimination on the basis of caste, creed, gender or age.

"We are a democracy...India and America both have democracy in our DNA. Democracy is in our spirit and we live it and it's written in our Constitution. So no question of discrimination on the grounds of caste, creed or religion arises," Prime Minister Modi said when asked about threat to minorities in India. "That is why, India believes in sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas, sabka prayaas and walks ahead with it." 

'India-US doubling down on cooperation to secure semiconductor supply chains: Biden's joint statement with PM Modi

After a bilateral meeting at the White House, PM Modi and US President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a joint statement which said India and America are doubling down on their cooperation to secure semiconductor supply chains, and growing their major defence partnership with more joint exercises. "We are doubling down on our cooperation to secure our semiconductor supply chains, and growing our major defence partnership with more joint exercises, more cooperation between our defence industries, and more consultation and coordination across all domains," the statement said.    

Prime Minister Modi is on a three-day state visit to the US. With this visit, the statement said, India and the US are demonstrating once more how both countries are collaborating to deliver progress across the world. "From designing new ways to diagnose cancer and diabetes to collaborating on the international pace centre and treat illnesses like cancer and diabetes to collaborating on human spaceflight, including sending an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024 to accelerating the global clean energy transition and tackling the climate crisis we face, to harnessing our shared expertise on critical and emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence to ensuring they are not used as tools of misinformation and oppression."

Biden said India and America's economic relationship is booming. "Trade between our countries has almost doubled over the past decade to more than $191 billion supporting tens of thousands of good jobs in both India and the United States. One million American jobs across 44 states will be supported by the purchase of more than 200 American-made Boeing aircraft that Air Indian is announcing earlier this year and with this visit, Indian firms are announcing more than $2 billion in new investments in manufacturing solar in Colorado, steel in Ohio, and optic fibre in South Carolina."