An influential American Senator has said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is probably the strongest Indian leader to have emerged in his lifetime and asserted that the US needs to have more cooperation with India.

"I'm incredibly impressed with the new leader. Mr Modi is probably the strongest leader that I have seen emerge in India, certainly in our lifetimes," Senator John McCain said yesterday.

In his remarks before the Center for Strategic and International Studies, McCain, the 2008 presidential candidate, said the United States needs to have more co-operation with India.

"I believe one of the great long-term challenges we have is to maintain significant influence in the Asia-Pacific region. And we have to do things like look to India for more co-operation," the senior US Republican senators said.