By Lalit K Jha
Washington

President Barack Obama’s advancing of the State of the Union Address to accommodate his India visit is reflective of the “very big change” in Indo-US ties, even as no “big” surprises were on the cards during the trip, officials said today.

Of all the presidential visits so far, including that of the Bill Clinton in 2000, Obama’s travel to India 10 years later is the most “significant upping” of the relationship, officials said.

This shows that the bilateral relationship between the two largest democratic countries of the world has matured and is no longer seen in the US from the prism of Pakistan and China, they said ahead of Obama’s three-day visit to India beginning Sunday.

The State of the Union address, which he delivered today, was advanced and it took place before the time it is usually held — around last week of January. Last year it was held on January 28, in 2013 it was held in February first week because of the President’s inauguration and in 2012 it was held on January 24.

The advancement of the date for the address was co-ordinated earlier and there was no change in date. Normally it is held on the last Tuesday of January, but there is no set tradition.

In the last few months, officials from the two countries have literally burnt the mid-night oil to put the relationship back on track and the new Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a series of steps to address the concerns of the US and so has the Obama Administration, a senior official said on condition of anonymity.

Obama, sources said, quickly accepted the invitation to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day Parade as there is a sense in his Administration that India under Modi is energised, there are more opportunities for American businesses, and would be more influential in the coming years towards emerging as a key global power in its own right.

Also, unlike the rise of China there is a feeling in the US that the rise of India or a strong India does not pose a threat to the US and in fact it is in the American national interest.

“So the need to embrace India and the visit is part of that US effort to reinvest in a rising Indian stock,” the sources said.

Otherwise, there is no explanation to the fact that the President of the United States has changed the timing of the State of the Union Address and the fact that he is willing to take four days off from Washington DC just for one country, sources said.

India watchers familiar with the deliberations between the officials of the two countries said that so far all indications are that there would be no “big” surprises during Obama’s India trip.

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