WASHINGTON, Ramadan 3, 1437, Jun 8, 2016, SPA -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi told Congress Wednesday that his nation and the U.S. have overcome "the hesitations of history" and called for ever-stronger economic and defense ties between the two countries, AP reported. "Let us work together to convert shared ideals into practical cooperation," Modi said in a speech that lauded both nations' common democratic principles and hailed two heroes of nonviolence, India's Mahatma Gandhi and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. "In advancing this relationship, both nations stand to gain in great measure," he said. Modi's 46-minute address followed years of being shunned in the U.S. because of religious violence in his home state. Underscoring the turnabout, it came a day after a White House meeting with President Barack Obama and preceded a lunch Modi will have in the Capitol with congressional leaders and a reception hosted by the House and Senate foreign affairs committees. "Today, our relationship has overcome the hesitations of history," he said. "Comfort, candor and convergence define our conversations." Modi drew laughter from the lawmakers crowding the House chamber for the joint meeting of Congress with a tongue-in-cheek description of the rough and tumble politics of the U.S. -- SPA 22:13 LOCAL TIME 19:13 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w