American leaders including Democratic party's Bernie Sanders, Cori Bush, and Ilhan Omar have urged United States President Joe Biden to raise concerns over the alleged oppression of minorities in India with Prime Minister Narendra who is currently on a state visit to the country. Biden is facing pressure from members of his own party, who are calling on him to express concerns about press freedom and the human rights situation in India under the Modi government and to directly address these issues in his bilateral talks.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders accused the Modi government of pushing "aggressive Hindu nationalism". In a tweet, Sanders expressed his concerns, saying, "Prime Minister Modi's government has cracked down on the press and civil society, jailed political opponents, and promoted an aggressive Hindu nationalism that leaves little room for India's religious minorities. President Biden should raise these issues in his meeting with Prime Minister Modi."
Representative Ilhan Omar said that she would not attend Prime Minister Modi's joint address at Capitol Hill, alleging that he has "repressed religious minorities, empowered violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeted journalists and human rights advocates with impunity." She further announced plans to hold a briefing with human rights groups to discuss Modi's record of repression and violence.
Congresswoman Cori Bush also declared that she would be "boycotting" Prime Minister Modi's joint address to the US Congress.
Earlier, Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Pramila Jayapal had written a letter to President Biden urging him to raise human rights issues with Prime Minister Modi during his visit. Senator Van Hollen stated that the letter had garnered support from over 70 colleagues.
We Don’t Seek To Lecture PM Modi: White House
Meanwhile, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said that the US President will not lecture PM Modi on the concerns raised about the Indian government.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, he said that the US makes its view known, “We do so in a way where we don’t seek to lecture or assert that we don’t have challenges ourselves.”
"Ultimately, the question of where politics and the question of democratic institutions go in India is going to be determined within India by Indians. It's not going to be determined by the United States," Sullivan added, as quoted by HT.
PM Modi has been to the United States five times since becoming prime minister in 2014, but this is his first with the full diplomatic status of a state visit.
According to news agency Reuters, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden will deliver remarks and take questions from journalists on Thursday.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said, "We are just grateful that Prime Minister Modi is participating in a press event at the end of the visit. We think that's important and we're glad he thinks that's important too", as quoted by Reuters.
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