US lawmakers want human rights discussed as Biden prepares to fete Modi

Dozens of US President Joe Biden's fellow Democrats have urged him to raise human rights issues with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Washington this week, according to a letter sent to Biden.

Modi arrived in US on Tuesday for a visit projected as a milestone in ties between the two countries.

The US lawmakers said they were concerned about religious intolerance, press freedoms, internet access and the targeting of civil society groups.

"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," said the letter, led by Senator Chris Van Hollen and Representative Pramila Jayapal.

A total of 75 Democratic senators and members of the House of Representatives signed the letter, sent to the White House on Tuesday and first reported by Reuters news agency.

"And we ask that, during your meeting with Prime Minister Modi, you discuss the full range of issues important to a successful, strong, and long-term relationship between our two great countries," the letter said.

Modi has been to the United States five times since becoming prime minister in 2014, but the trip will be his first with the full diplomatic status of a state visit, despite concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation under his Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP].

Washington hopes for closer ties with the world's largest democracy, which it sees as a counterweight to China, but rights advocates worry that geopolitics will overshadow human rights issues.

Several US rights groups plan protests during Modi's visit.

The State Department's annual report on human rights practices released in March listed "significant human rights issues" and abuses in India.

For the past several years, the Indian government, led by BJP, has supported discriminatory national and state-level policies that severely hinder and restrict the religious freedom of minority groups, said United States Commission on International Religious Freedom [USCIRF], calling on Biden to raise it with Modi.

"It is vital the US government acknowledge the Indian government's perpetration and toleration of particularly severe violations of religious freedom against its own population and urge the government to uphold its human rights obligations," USCIRF commissioner David Curry said in a statement.

Given discriminatory policies such as hijab bans, anti-conversion laws, and the Citizenship Amendment Act, it is critical that India's government advance human rights for all religious communities in India and promote religious freedom, dignity, and interfaith dialogue, USCIRF said.

"It is deeply concerning that the Indian government continues to implement policies that negatively impact Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, and Hindu Dalit communities," said USCIRF's Stephen Schneck.

USCIRF has recommended the US designate India as a "country of particular concern" each year since 2020, for "engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom, and again most recently in its 2023 annual report.

Tlaib to boycott Modi's Congress address

Modi will address a joint meeting of the House and Senate on Thursday. It will be Modi's second such address, a rare honour for a leader once denied a visa to enter the United States over human rights concerns.

Representative Rashida Tlaib called Modi's address to Congress "shameful" and said she would boycott the event.

"It's shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation's capital — his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable. I will be boycotting Modi's joint address to Congress," she tweeted.

"A series of independent, credible reports reflect troubling signs in India toward the shrinking of political space, the rise of religious intolerance, the targeting of civil society organisations and journalists, and growing restrictions on press freedoms and internet access," the lawmakers said in the letter.

They said they joined Biden in welcoming Modi to the United States, and want a "close and warm relationship" between the people of the two countries, saying that friendship should be based on shared values and "friends can and should discuss their differences in an honest and forthright way."

"That is why we respectfully request that — in addition to the many areas of shared interests between India and the US — you also raise directly with Prime Minister Modi areas of concern," the letter said.

Modi's visit 'not about China'

Speaking to reporters before Modi arrived in Washington, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby declined to comment on whether Biden would raise the issue, but that it is "commonplace" for Biden to raise concerns about human rights.

He also said China does not figure into the decision to host Modi.

Asked about the two-day visit, replete with pomp and circumstance, Kirby said it "is not about China."

"It's not about sending a message to China."

The US sees India as a vital partner in its efforts to push back against China's expanding influence worldwide, although some analysts question India's willingness to stand up collectively against Beijing over issues such as Taiwan.

Washington is also concerned about India's unwillingness to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine. India has urged both sides to resolve their differences through diplomacy.

India remains dependent on old friend Moscow for its defence needs and has sharply increased its imports of cheap Russian oil, frustrating the West.

Asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journal about critical comments in the US for not taking a more forceful stance against Russia over Ukraine, Modi said, "I don't think this type of perception is widespread in the US."

"I think India’s position is well known and well understood in the entire world. The world has full confidence that India's top-most priority is peace," he said in the interview published on Tuesday.

Modi meets Musk

Modi landed in New York on Tuesday afternoon, where he has business meetings and will mark the International Day of Yoga on Wednesday before heading to Washington.

There he has a private dinner scheduled with Biden on Wednesday, followed by talks at the White House and a state dinner on Thursday.

The visit is expected to see the two countries expand cooperation in the defence industry and high-tech sectors, with India getting access to critical American technologies that Washington rarely shares with non-allies.

"This special invitation is a reflection of the vigour and vitality of the partnership between our democracies," Modi said in a statement before departure.

"I will also meet some of the leading CEOs to discuss opportunities for elevating our trade and investment relationship and for building resilient global supply chains."

On Tuesday, Modi met with Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, who briefed him on plans to set up a manufacturing base there.

Musk said he had a good conversation with Modi and he will visit India next year. The Tesla boss also said he is confident that Tesla will be in India and will do so as soon as "humanly possible."

Musk is also the executive chairman of Twitter, which has had run-ins with Modi's government.

Last week, Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey said India threatened to shut it down in India unless it complied with orders to restrict accounts critical of the handling of farmer protests, a charge Modi's government called an "outright lie".