US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis to visit India on Tuesday

Friends from afar? 
 
US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis will visit India and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman this week. This is the first visit by a Cabinet-level official to India under the (Donald) Trump administration.
 
"The secretary will emphasise that the US views India as a valued and influential partner, with broad mutual interests extending well beyond South Asia," the Pentagon said in a statement. The two-day visit will start from Tuesday.
 

"The secretary will also express US' appreciation for India's important contributions toward Afghanistan's democracy, stability, prosperity and security," the Pentagon said.

 
Open to the public
 
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made elaborate arrangements for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech at the party's national executive on Monday. The PM will be addressing the party's 120-odd national executive members, an equal number of special invitees, all of the party's 280 Lok Sabha and 56 Rajya Sabha members, and its over 1,400 legislators and legislative council members from across the country. The BJP has set up a multi-camera set-up, and a clean feed would be given to news television channels. State broadcaster Doordarshan is set to telecast the speech live. There is much anticipation that the PM might address the economic concerns of the country in light of the dip in gross domestic product (GDP) numbers.

 
Usually, the BJP national executive is a closed-door affair, with the speeches of leaders, including that of the PM and party chief not open to the media. The media is later briefed about the resolutions the executive passes or the contents of the speeches.
 
However, the BJP has made an exception this time. While other sessions would be closed to the media, the PM's speech at the two-days national executive would be open to media.