NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden is unlikely to travel to New Delhi to be the chief guest of India’s Republic Day celebrations next month, sources said, adding that the Quad meet planned on January 27 has also been postponed to the second half of 2024.
“The Quad Summit is proposed to be held later in 2024. India is looking for a new date when all Quad leaders will be available,” said a source. Biden visited India in September for the G-20 summit, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi reportedly invited him to be the chief guest of the Republic Day parade on January 26.
Sources said Japanese PM Fumio Kishida and Australian PM Anthony Albanese were ready to attend the Quad meet though they had other commitments back home. But with Biden not confirming his visit, India decided to put off the meet.
The chances of a US President making two trips to India within four months are slim, but some believe Biden’s non-acceptance of Modi’s invite is a possible fallout of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York City.