Gujarat riots a blemish on Modi’s record.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The United States has officially denied Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi a visa to enter the country, citing Modi’s as-yet fully undisclosed involvement in the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Katrina Lantos Swett, the Vice-Chairwoman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, announced the decision in a statement to The New York Times, saying that “there are many, many unanswered questions that remain, there are many grave allegations, [and] there are huge doubts.”
The decision to deny Modi a visa to enter the US echoes a similar ruling in 2005 that also denied him such a request, and rescinded his tourist visa. The reason given at that time was the same given now: his alleged sanctioning of violence in Gujarat 11 years ago that led to innumerable injuries and deaths.
The 2002 riots in Gujarat were a three-day event in which Hindus and Muslims both enacted atrocious acts of violence against one another. The final tally of casualties and deaths vary, but official figures list 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus as having been killed during the three-day span of violence. Additionally, 2,500 people were injured and 223 were reported missing and never found. Modi is accused of having condoned the violence at the time, a charge which has affected his ability to visit the US ever since.
Modi has recently become the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and is considered by many to be the party’s frontrunner for a Prime Minister campaign come next election. BJP President Rajnath Singh has said that he will lobby the US to reconsider its visa ban on Modi.
When Swett was asked to give her opinion on Modi potentially becoming India’s next Prime Minister, she said it was not the place of the US to give opinions on who should or shouldn’t a country should elect as its leader, adding: “…it is important for [Indians] to consider very carefully who it is they want [for] their next Prime Minister.”
TO contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com