PM Modi: 75 Democratic Senators and Congressional Representatives from the United States (US) have written a letter to President Joe Biden outlining their areas of concern, asking him to strengthen India-America ties while also discussing India’s recent democratic record with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit.
US Legislators urge President Biden to address human rights concerns during talks with PM Modi
They have asked the President to specifically address the “shrinking political space, the rise in religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organisations and journalists, and the growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access” in India, citing reports from the US State Department and civil society organisations. The lawmakers emphasised their support for India’s strategic, economic, commercial, military, and people-to-people connections while observing that friends should communicate in an open and sincere manner. “For this reason, in addition to the many areas where India and the U.S. share interests, we respectfully request that you also raise directly with Prime Minister Modi areas of concern.”
US Legislators lead bipartisan effort to raise human rights concerns ahead of PM Modi’s Congressional speech
The Indian government has continuously dismissed criticism of its record on human rights, blaming it on “votebank politics” and false information based on input from individuals with questionable connections when it came to the US. 48 hours before Modi was due to deliver a rare honorary speech to a joint assembly of the US Congress for the second time, the letter was made public on Tuesday afternoon Eastern time. The idea was spearheaded by Senator Chris van Hollen (a critic of India’s recent political trajectory who this month attended a private luncheon for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (the leader of the Congressional progressive caucus who is of Indian descent). The letter is signed by 57 members of the House of Representatives and 18 senators, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Tim Kaine. The letter’s signatories represent 14% of the US Congress, which has 535 seats altogether across both chambers. Of the five lawmakers with Indian ancestry, only Jayapal is an Indian-American who has signed the letter.
Must Read: Uttar Pradesh Madrassas Encouraged to Embrace International Yoga Day 2023 Celebrations
US Legislators highlight strategic partnership with India
The legislators begin the letter by noting that both democracies have established a connection based on mutual strategic interests and ideals. The letter hails economic relations, refers to India as a “crucial partner for stability” in the Indo-Pacific, supports bilateral industrial defence cooperation, and gives the diaspora high praise. “We trust and anticipate that when you meet directly with Prime Minister Modi, you will discuss these significant strategic, economic, and cultural facets of the U.S.-India partnership.” The signatories assert that there has been a “tightening of political rights and expression…worrisome increase in religious intolerance towards minorities and religiously motivated violence by private and state actors” based on reports released by the US State Department’s office of international religious freedom, State’s country report on human rights practises, Reporters Without Borders, and Access Now.
US Legislators reaffirm commitment to shared values with India
The signatories informed Vice President Joe Biden that he had once more established respect for human rights, press freedom, religious freedom, and pluralism “core tenets of American foreign policy” and that these principles must be adhered to “friend and foe alike.” They claimed that the US and India shared a special relationship through moral figures like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. and that both countries’ constitutions upheld free speech, the freedom of the press, and religious freedom. The signatories reiterated their support for Modi and stated that they wanted to forge a stronger bond between the people of the two nations based on shared interests and values. They added, “We do not endorse any particular Indian leader or political party — that is the decision of the people of India — but we do stand in support of the important principles that should be a core part of American foreign policy. And we request that you and Prime Minister Modi talk about all the matters vital to the long-term, prosperous relationship between our two great nations during your meeting. Separately, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who has frequently criticised Modi, declared that she will not attend his speech to the joint session of the US Congress on Thursday. She charged Modi of having a “long history of violating fundamental human rights, taking anti-democratic actions, discriminating against Muslims and religious minorities, and censoring journalists.”
Keep watching our YouTube Channel ‘DNP INDIA’. Also, please subscribe and follow us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, and TWITTER