US Vice-President J.D. Vance, accompanied by Indian American Second Lady Usha Vance and their children, began his first official visit to India with a tour of the Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in New Delhi.
The US Vice-President sported a classic navy-blue suit paired with a red tie and his wife chose a red bodycon dress with a white coat. Their young kids – Ewan, Vivek, and Mirabel – were all dressed in traditional Indian outfits, with the boys wearing kurta pyjamas and the little girl sporting what looked like a mini Anarkali style suit teamed with an embroidered jacket.
Temple spokesperson Radhika Shukla said that the US Vice-President spent around 55 minutes exploring the temple, admiring its architecture, and offering prayers for world peace.
Earlier, Vance and his family were welcomed by Indian Minister for Railways and Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw. He was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour, marking the start of his four-day official visit to India.
Vance held meetings with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a focus on strengthening economic, trade, and defence ties between the two countries.
During the course of the historic visit, the Vances are to also cover Jaipur and Agra. The visit has been dubbed as an important step in boosting the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the visit will cover all key areas of cooperation between the two nations.
He said: “We have a Comprehensive Strategic Global Partnership, when you have that level of partnership with any country... obviously you will discuss all relevant issues.
"Of course, our relationship is such that we are doing anything that is part of our human endeavour from part of our bilateral engagement... so all these bilateral issues will be discussed, and we are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties."
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The MEA also highlighted the ongoing discussions between India and the US regarding a potential trade agreement.
"We are talking to the US side so that a bilateral trade agreement can be done," Jaiswal added.
Meanwhile, as the US Second Family arrived in India, a small village in the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh was abuzz with anticipation. Vadluru is the ancestral home of Usha Vance (nee Chilukuri), and the locals remain hopeful the couple may well include a stopover on their agenda.
(*With ANI Inputs)