Fact Check: Before PM Modi, Netanyahu, Mandela And Other Heads Of States Have Addressed US Congress Twice

New Delhi Vishvas News – As Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the joint session of US Congress, a viral post on social media has claimed that PM Modi is the only world leader after former British PM Winston Churchill, who has been given the honour of addressing a joint session of the US Congress again.

Vishvas News investigation found this claim to be misleading. While it is true that Prime Minister Modi got to address the joint session of the US Congress for the second time, earlier too many heads of state have done the same. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the joint session of US Congress thrice in 1996, 2011 and 2015. Britain’s Churchill addressed two joint meetings and one informal meeting of the US Congress. Former South African president Nelson Mandela also addressed the meeting of the US Congress twice.

What Is Going Viral?

Sharing the viral post (archive link), social media user ‘Rknaidu’ wrote, “This is called a real royal invitation for a respected Diplomat…. 

 After Winston Churchill, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India is the only Second World leader who is given this honor for second time ‘

Several other users on different social media platforms made the same claim as they shared the invitation letter sent to PM Modi to address a joint sitting of the US Congress.

Investigation

The viral post shared a copy of a letter issued by the US Congress on June 1, 2023, inviting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address a joint meeting of the US Congress on June 22, 2023. Information about this invitation is available on the website of the Speaker of the US Congress.

Following the invitation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a joint sitting of the US Congress on June 23. In the beginning of his address, he mentioned that he had earlier addressed this joint meeting in 2016 as well.

Pictures of this address have also been shared from the official Twitter handle of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The official website of history.house.gov, which lists leaders who have addressed the joint meeting of the US Congress, confirms that before PM Modi, heads of several other countries have had the opportunity to address the joint meeting of the US Congress twice.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has addressed a joint sitting of the US Congress three times, on July 1996, May 2011 and March 2015.

We contacted former diplomat and foreign affairs expert Vivek Katju over the claim made in the viral post. He said, “The information that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the only head of state after Churchill to have addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress twice is incorrect. Earlier, many heads of state have received this honour.”

The viral post mentions Churchill addressing a joint meeting of the US Congress twice. According to available records, he has addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress twice and an informal meeting of Congress once.

At the same time, former South African President Nelson Mandela has also addressed the joint meeting of the US Congress twice. Mandela addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress for the first time on June 26, 1990 and for the second time on October 6, 1994.

According to records, PM Narendra Modi addressed a joint meeting of the US Congress earlier on June 8, 2016 too. Though he did become the first Indian prime minister who was given the opportunity to address this meeting again. Earlier, Rajiv Gandhi (January 13, 1985), PV Narasimha Rao (May 18, 1994), Atal Bihari Vajpayee (September 14, 2000) and Manmohan Singh (July 19, 2005) addressed joint meetings of the US Congress.

The user who shared the viral post with the misleading claim is followed by over 100 people on Twitter.

Fact check reports on other fake and misleading claims related to Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be read on Vishvas News website.