NEW DELHI: A clear assessment of foreign policy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi can only be made after his visit to the United States with both governments readying the stage against the backdrop of wariness, caution, and a certain reserve that has grown over the years with Washington denying him a visa after the violence in Gujarat in 2002.

The Prime Minister will be meeting US President Barack Obama over September 29 and 30 in Washington. It is not clear what other bilateral meetings, if any, he will be holding on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly earlier in New York. There does not seem to be any movement so far to schedule a meeting between him and Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif crucial to kickstart the stalled dialogue.

The US has been cautious throughout about the visit, with New Delhi’s efforts to schedule an address by PM Modi to the US Congress remaining unsuccessful. US Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Biswal told reporters in Washington that the Obama Administration would like the Indian PM to agree to end the blockage of the World Trade Organisation agreement to ease worldwide customs rules during his visit. This had overshadowed the meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and PM Modi earlier in August in New Delhi. She said that this blockade “does discredit” to India adding, "We've made our position very clear, which is that while we are very sympathetic to the food-security concerns the prime minister has voiced, we do believe that the trade facilitation agreement is a very, very important agreement.”

Biswal was categorical that the government’s position "undermines India's interests as well as the interests of ... many developing countries and emerging economies.” This could well become a sticking point between New Delhi and Washington as PM Modi has received widespread support for the government position on WTO at home. Interestingly Biswal ruled out the massive direct investment as promised by Japan, and now China, to India saying, “we certainly do not have the kind of directive economic system that we would bring on the table. Yet on the other hand American investment in India is quite consequential," she asserted.

The US India civilian nuclear agreement that was stalled, after an excited start, under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remains a thorn in Washington’s side. The inability of the UPA government to get the necessary law passed through the Indian Parliament has continued to rankle and while indications are that the agreement will not be on the front burner for the purpose of this visit, it will definitely be an important item on the agenda. Biswal said that there were still “tough issues to be worked through” on the nuclear agreement.

An area of concern will be defence cooperation and security that Washington will lay considerable stress on. Top U.S. naval officer, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, told reporters in washington that he was hoping that PM Modi’s visit would clear the picture on US military sales and cooperation with India. He admitted that, “some of our cooperative measures in that regard have sort of stalled.” Greenert said the United States was keen to ramp up joint exercises to again include carrier and submarine operations. "We haven't done that in a little while," he said. "I'd like to get back on that track."

Judging from these remarks by both the military and the State Department, it is clear that there is a certain tentativeness with both sides virtually having to get to know each other again. The red carpet is being dusted but certainly not strewn with flowers by the Americans, who have decided to adopt a caution, “let us watch” approach. The US media is still playing on the “before Modi became prime minister he was barred from visiting the United States after Hindu mobs killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, in 2002 while he was chief minister of his home state of Gujarat” reports suggesting that both leaders will have to work over this before getting to brasstacks.

PM Modi will be arriving to a welcome from the Indian community at a grand public reception at the Madison Square Garden, New York. Tickets for the 20,000 seats are being distributed through a lottery system. And as per the plans the event will be anchored by the first Indian-American Miss America Nina Davuluri and PBS Weekend Newshour's Indian-American anchor, Hari Sreenivasan.

However, at the same time large scale protests have been planned against the Prime Minister by Sikh groups in Washington who have announced their plan to picket the White House when the two leaders meet. A New York-based Sikh civil rights body, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), said that more than one hundred Sikh Organizations operating in the United States have made an alliance to stage a demonstration outside the White House on September 30, “aimed at exposing the Obama administration’s policy of appeasing Indian Prime Minister who was banned by the Bush administration for his alleged involvement in 2002 massacre of Muslims in Gujarat.”

SFJ’s legal advisor, attorney Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has told the media in the US that Sikhs will gather in thousands to remind President Obama “that upholding the religious freedom principle of US constitution is more important than signing business deals with those who pose threat to religious minorities.”

Significantly President Obama had not replaced former US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell, leaving the post vacant despite the high level trip being scheduled for September a while ago. He has now named Richard Rahul Verma of Indian origin as the envoy, if he is cleared by the Senate. Verma’s parents were from Punjab and his father moved to the US in the 1960;s where he taught at a University. Verma is one of five siblings and has a chequered career that took him from Georgetown university to the Air Force to a law firm. He is currently a member of the Secretary of State’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board.