 "Modi calls Obama, talks on strengthening India-US ties")
On Monday night Modi called Obama and later twitted, "In our conversation, @BarackObama & I talked about further strengthening India-USA strategic partnership that will help both nations."
Modi also thanked the US Secretary of State John Kerry who had wished him after the national election results were announced on May 16. "@JohnKerry Thank you Mr. Kerry. We will strengthen relations between our 2 vibrant democracies in the years to come."
US, along with some of the European nations had boycotted the 63-year-old for over a decade over 2002 riots in Gujarat while he was the state's chief minister. Modi was denied visa by the US over the issue in 2005. Since then the issue of visa has been the most contentious issue between Modi and US.
Soon after the election results were on on May 16, Obama had called Modi to congratulate him on the BJP's success in the elections and invited him to visit Washington at a mutually agreeable time.
An official release by the White House on May 16 stated,"The President noted he looks forward to working closely with Mr. Modi to fulfill the extraordinary promise of the U.S.-India strategic partnership, and they agreed to continue expanding and deepening the wide-ranging cooperation between our two democracies. The President invited Narendra Modi to visit Washington at a mutually agreeable time to further strengthen our bilateral relationship."
The BJP stalwart who had led the party to a landslide victory in Lok Sabha elections had taken to Twitter since yesterday to thank fellow leaders like Russian president Vladimir Putin, Japanese premier Shinzo Abe, Nepal president Ram Baran Yadav and PM Sushil Koirala, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French president Hollande, Canadian PM Stephen Harper, South African president Jacob Zuma and Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy.