Topline
A group of progressive lawmakers known as the ‘Squad’ will boycott Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to Congress Thursday while Democrats urge President Biden to bring up human rights concerns with Modi during his U.S. state visit, as Washington hopes India will become a regional counter-balance to China.
US President Joe Biden (R) and First Lady Jill Biden (L) pose with India's Prime Minister Narendra ... [+]
Key Facts
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted she would boycott Modi’s speech, saying a joint session address should not be extended to “individuals with deeply troubling human rights records…engaged in systematic human rights abuses of religious minorities and caste-oppressed communities.”
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) tweeted it was “shameful that Modi has been given a platform” as she criticized the Indian leader for “his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) tweeted Modi’s government has “repressed religious minorities, emboldened violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeted journalists/human rights advocates with impunity.”.
More than 70 House and Senate Democrats, led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) signed a letter to Biden urging him to press Modi on “the need to protect human rights and democratic values in India.”
The letter points to independent reports about “the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organizations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access,” in India under Modi.
Crucial Quote
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who signed the letter, tweeted: “Prime Minister Modi's government has cracked down on the press and civil society, jailed political opponents, and pushed an aggressive Hindu nationalism that leaves little space for India's religious minorities. President Biden should raise these facts in his meeting with Modi.”
Key Background
Modi is on a three-day state visit to the U.S., which includes an address to the joint session of Congress and a White House state dinner. India is seen by the U.S. as a key partner in the Asia-Pacific region and an important counterbalance to China. India and China have shared a tense relationship for decades—including a border conflict in 1961—over territorial disputes. As several Western companies look to reduce their reliance on China, Modi and his government have attempted to push India as an alternative manufacturing hub in the region. This week, Modi’s so-called “Make In India” efforts were reportedly endorsed by the White House, which has urged chip companies to invest more in the country. Both India and the U.S. are members of the Indo-Pacific security collective known as the Quad, along with Australia and Japan. Beijing views the Quad as a U.S.-led effort to contain its influence in the Indo-Pacific and has even derisively referred to the group as “Asian NATO.”
News Peg
Despite the strategic alignment between the two largest democracies in the world, Biden’s decision to host Modi for a state visit has come under criticism from various human rights groups. Modi is the leader of the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose leaders have been criticized for fanning hate and violence towards India’s Muslim minorities. In its World Report for 2023, Human Rights Watch said the BJP government has “continued its systematic discrimination and stigmatization of religious and other minorities, particularly Muslims,” adding that supporters of the party have “increasingly committed violent attacks against targeted groups.”
Further Reading
Biden Courts India’s Modi Amid Battle With China For Influence — Despite Protests (Forbes)
Biden will not 'lecture' Modi on human rights, White House says (Reuters)
