India's prime minister to headline Silicon Valley reception

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- The prime minister of India will headline a massive community reception in Silicon Valley this weekend and more than 18,000 tickets have been distributed. While many are thrilled about his trip, others are questioning his motives.

This Sunday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take center stage at the SAP Center in San Jose. It is an event many Bay Area Indian-Americans have been waiting for.

"To some extent, they all want to share in the pride of having the Indian prime minister come here, and they like his style. He's a bit of a showman, and likes to play to the gallery, and he enjoys being in these large venues," Karthika Sasikumar, Ph.D., a political science professor at San Jose State University, said.

Sasikumar explains this plays into the prime minister's strategy to introduce new technology to India. She said, "From the point of view of Silicon Valley corporates, this is a great opportunity for them to enter the Indian market, with the support of the Indian Government, and it's probably what lies behind their invitations to Mr. Modi."

At Curry Pundits on East Santa Clara Street, managers say requests for catering and reservations have gone up since Modi said he'd be coming to town.

"He's talking about, all world leaders, let's come together and work towards the progress of every country, so I believe he's looking at the bigger picture," restaurant manager Shalmali Barve said.

Critics accuse Modi of previous human rights violations saying he's trying to convert India into a Hindu-only nation, displacing groups like Sikhs, Christians and Muslims.

The organization Sikhs For Justice plans on protesting Sunday morning at a town hall meeting hosted by Facebook, as well as the reception at the SAP Center later that evening.

"We wanted to have the complete religious freedom for every minority, every religion like we have in the United States. We want to have the same model in India," Amardeep Purewal, from the Sikhs For Justice, said.

Politics aside, this will be the first California visit by an Indian head of state in more than three decades.