India's new prime minister Modi attends White House dinner despite fast

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks during a press conference at the Council on Foreign Relations, Monday, Sept. 29, 2014 in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit with President Obama Monday with a private dinner but there was a slight issue: the new leader of the world's largest democracy couldn't eat.

Modi was fasting to honor the Hindu goddess Durga and was only permitted to consume water or lemon-flavored water. The White House previously said Modi's dietary needs would be accommodated, but offered no details as to what was served at the dinner.

Obama and Modi broke the ice amid widespread concerns that U.S.-Indian ties have frayed in recent years. Joining them in the Blue Room was Vice President Biden, who also attended a State Department lunch with Modi and Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday.

Obama's courtship of Modi, who is on his first official visit to the U.S. since being elected in May, will continue Tuesday. The leaders will have a meeting in the Oval Office, marking a rare second day of attention from Obama.

During their talks, Obama and Modi will focus on economic growth and cooperation on security, clean energy, climate change and other issues, the White House said. They will also address regional concerns, including Afghanistan, where the U.S. is wrapping up its 13-year military involvement, and Syria and Iraq, where the U.S. is ramping up its military engagement as Obama builds an international coalition to target Islamic State militants operating in the both countries.

Obama visited India in 2010 and held up the U.S.-India relationship as the "defining partnership" of the 21st century. But the relationship has been lukewarm at best.

While military cooperation and U.S. defense sales have grown, the economic relationship has been rockier, with Washington frustrated by India's failure to open its economy to more foreign investment and address complaints over intellectual property violations.

A landmark civil nuclear agreement exists between the two countries, but Indian liability legislation has kept U.S. companies from capitalizing on the deal. Further fraying relations was the arrest and strip search last year in New York of an Indian diplomat on visa fraud charges.

A major aspect of this week's visit is the chance for Obama and Modi to begin building rapport, administration officials said. Obama was among the first Western leaders to telephone Modi with congratulations after his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party swept into power after May's landslide vote.

The visit also is a victory lap of sorts for Modi, a former tea seller who was once shunned by the U.S.

When Modi requested a visa to visit the United States nearly a decade ago, Washington said no. That rejection came three years after religious riots killed more than 1,000 Muslims in the state of Gujarat, where Modi was the top elected official.

"He's gone in just a matter of a few months from persona non grata to person of honor to be received warmly in the Oval Office," said Milan Vaishnav, who studies South Asia at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.

Another potential wrinkle in Modi's visit: A human rights group is offering $10,000 to anyone who can serve Modi with a summons issued by a federal court in New York to respond to a lawsuit the group filed accusing him of serious abuses. The lawsuit is on behalf of two unnamed survivors of the violence.

Modi has denied involvement in the violence and India's Supreme Court has said there was no case to bring against him. As a head of state, Modi has immunity from lawsuits in U.S. courts. And White House officials said they doubted the issue would cloud the visit.

"Whether it's security and counterterrorism or strengthening the economy or a host of other regional issues, there is a broad framework where India and the U.S. work closely together to advance our shared interests," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.