President Barack Obama looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the US next month, despite an online petition by a Sikh rights group seeking cancellation of his meeting at the White House, a top American official has said.

"The President, the Secretary (of State) looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Modi to the US. We have said that consistently since his election, and that remains the case," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said.

When asked about an online petition by New York-based Sikh for Justice rights group seeking cancellation of Modi's meeting, she said: "I believe it's one of the 'We, the People' petitions. There were some fraud checks that indicated a high number of nomalous '" I don't know how to say this word."