Democracy Is In India's DNA, There Is No Discrimination On Basis Of Religion, Says PM Modi — Watch

Responding to a question on climate change, PM Modi said of all the G20 countries, India is the only one that fulfilled all the promises made during the G20 Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing a press conference during his ongoing state visit to the US said democracy is in the DNA of both India and the United States. He was addressing a joint press conference with President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday. "Democracy can deliver and when we talk about democracy, there is no discrimination on basis of caste, creed, religion," PM Modi said.

Responding to a question on climate change, PM Modi said, "We do not believe in the exploitation of nature. Of all the G20 countries, India is the only country that has fulfilled all the promises made during G20 Summit. We are working to make India a green energy hub."

"We have launched an international solar alliance for the world and today several countries in the world are working with us. We are seeing that due to natural calamities, there is a huge loss to the infrastructure. We care about our future generations, so we are taking a global responsibility to support the world in the crisis of climate change," he added.

Acknowledging the importance of the event, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby earlier said that his government was grateful to PM Modi for participating in the press event. "We think that's important and we're glad he thinks that's important too," he was quoted as saying by Reuters.

The press conference came on a day when several American leaders, including Bernie Sanders, Cori Bush, and Ilhan Omar from the Democratic Party, have called on President Joe Biden to raise concerns about the alleged oppression of minorities in India during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ongoing state visit to the United States. Members of the Democratic Party are pressuring Biden to address issues related to press freedom and human rights under the Modi government and to discuss them directly in his bilateral talks.

Prime Minister Modi has visited the United States five times since assuming office in 2014, but this visit holds special significance as it is his first official state visit with full diplomatic status.