President Obama hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday for a White House meeting. Modi also met with top congressional leaders and Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry praised Modi’s massive reception before thousands at New York’s Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Secretary of State John Kerry: “No matter how warm our welcome here today, we’re going never be able to top your rock star reception at Madison Square Garden. Billy Joel called me this morning to make sure you hadn’t taken his regular gig there. None of us have been able to turn on a television or pick up a newspaper without seeing the celebrity coverage that the prime minister has received. And with it, for all of us, there is a shared excitement and a sense of shared possibility.”

On Tuesday night, President Obama hosted Modi and around 24 others for a private White House dinner. Before his election, Modi was barred from the United States for many years over his role in 2002 anti-Muslim riots that left more than 1,000 dead. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat, where the killings occurred. He has never apologized for or explained his actions at the time.