Applauding Narendra Modi’s commitment to tackle climate change, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday said the Indian Prime Minister has upheld the values of Gandhi by taking on the challenge that poses an existential threat to the planet.

“I mentioned about climate crisis and thanked him for his leadership, he talked about Mahatma Gandhi and the environment,” she said at an event at the historic Library of Congress organised by the Indian Embassy to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.

“We are called to fight this fight, which is the existential threat of our time: really jeopardising the health, security, and future of our children and our grandchildren,” Pelosi said in her key note address.

Referring to the “commitment” shown by Modi in ensuring that the agreement on climate change was finalised, Pelosi said: “It was not easy. But it was done”.

When Modi came to Washington DC to address a joint session of the Congress, the Congressional leadership met him before the speech, she said.

In his remarks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described Pelosi as a political figure who embodies the strength of convictions that is so relevant even today.

“Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked at an event at the United Nations what it would have been like had Mahatma Gandhi been like born in a free country. We could perhaps take that even further and ask ourselves what he would advocate today if he was amongst us,” he said.

“The answer obviously is not a simple one because Gandhi ji’s outlook and thoughts spanned a very broad spectrum of human activity. But to the extent we can define it within sharper boundaries, they probably are best captured by the 17 sustainable development goals that the world’s seeks to achieve today,” he said.