New Delhi: On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi began an “official state visit” to the United States — his very first since he rode to power on a massive mandate in 2014. He’s only the second prime minister of India to make such a visit, after Manmohan Singh.
While Modi is there, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are scheduled to host him for an official state dinner. He will also address a joint sitting of the US Congress.
The prime minister has previously visited the US six times since 2014— September 2014, September 2015, March-April 2016, June 2016, June 2017 and September 2019 — but this is his first official state visit.
What does this mean, and how is it different from a state visit? It all comes down to the US State Department’s protocol. The department classifies visits by visiting foreign dignitaries under five categories — state visit, official visit, official working visit, working visit, and private visit.
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What makes PM Modi’s visit different from a state visit
A state visit is the highest-ranking visit to the United States by a foreign dignitary and can only be offered by a US president to their counterparts — that is, fellow heads of state.
Biden has so far hosted only two state visits since he came to power in 2020 — for French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. A formal invitation for a state visit by the US president signals that he considers the visiting head of nation an important friend and ally.
However, Modi’s invitation to the US differs slightly from those extended to these leaders. As Modi is a head of government rather than a head of state, President Biden cannot formally extend him an invitation for a state visit.
Vivek Katju, former secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, explained that in order to get around this, the United States came up with another level for foreign visits —the “official state visit”.
“While there is no international convention defining visits of one leader to another state, there is a general practice on foreign visits,” Katju told ThePrint. “Since in American protocol, state visits can only be extended from one head of state to their counterpart, the US adopted the ‘official state visit’, which is what PM Modi has been invited for.”
While this might seem like a minor issue to some, Katju believes that it showcases the US’s rigidity in following its own protocols rather than evolving with the growing international order. “These protocols are significant in their sense of identity,” Katju said, connecting it to the idea of American Exceptionalism.
While Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh, also travelled to the US twice on official state visits, other Indian PMs including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru visited the US on official working visits or official visits.
S.Radhakrishnan — India’s second president — is the only Indian dignitary to have made a state visit to the US.
‘Going beyond protocols’
But according to Katju, despite these protocols, it’s up to a government to show its appreciation for their foreign guests.
The instance he cites is then US president Donald Trump’s visit to India in 2020.
“When former president Trump visited India in 2020, the prime minister welcomed him in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, going beyond protocol which directs that the leader should only welcome the guest when they land in New Delhi,” Katju said.
Despite the difference in protocol, Modi’s visit is expected to be much like a state visit, according to Katju.
A foreign guest on a state visit stays at Blair House — the president’s official guest house that’s just across from his official residence, the White House. The foreign guest will not only hold meetings with the US president and be hosted by the first couple for a state dinner, but will also get a ceremonial welcome at the White House as well as the customary 21-gun salute.
In contrast, an official working visit has fewer ceremonies and primarily involves meeting the US president, a working lunch at the White House and an optional dinner or reception. While the guest is offered a stay at Blair House, there is no ceremonial welcome or departure at the White House.
According to the US State Department, out of Modi’s previous six visits, the one in 2014 was a working visit while the one in 2017 was an official working visit. The one in 2016 was classified as a working lunch.
He also made two other visits — to attend a Nuclear Security Summit in 2016 and to participate in the “Howdy Modi” rally in 2019.
His visit in September 2015 was to meet tech leaders in the US.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)
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