Modi rallies Indian Americans, lauds diaspora ahead of US election

(Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi rallied the Indian community in the U.S. on Sunday, citing the power of the diaspora ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election along with the importance of the 2024 contest and democracy in general.

Modi, speaking at a packed coliseum in New York's Long Island suburbs that also featured Indian dancing and songs, did not comment specifically on the contest between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump.

"This year 2024 is a very important one for the entire world," he said, according to a translation of his remarks.

"On the one hand, there are conflicts raging between several countries in the world, there is tension. And on the other, democracy is being celebrated in several countries of the world," Modi told the crowd. "India and America are also together in the celebration of democracy."

About 4.5 million people in the U.S. identify as being of Indian descent, according to 2020 U.S. Census data.

Trump has said he will meet with Modi this week.

He faces a tight race against Harris, who is of Indian descent.

Modi secured his own historic third term earlier this year and was sworn in as prime minister of the world's most populous nation in June following a shock election setback that left him facing the potential challenges of a coalition government after an election campaign marked by religious rhetoric.

Modi and Democratic President Joe Biden met in Delaware over the weekend one-on-one as well as part of the Quad grouping that also includes the leaders of Australia and Japan.

While a U.S. official declined to say whether human rights issues were raised in the Biden-Modi talks, senior U.S. officials met with Sikh advocates ahead of the Biden-Modi meeting to discuss threats they face in the United States.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey and Brendan O'Brien; Editing by Chris Reese)