Bipartisan resolution condemns Narendra Modi.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: The US House of Representatives has introduced a resolution that condemns the persecution of religious minorities, and hits hard against the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Modi has been looked down upon by the US since 2002, when his alleged ties to the Gujarat riots first surfaced. The US government has denied visa to Modi to visit the US. The US Coalition Against Genocide – an advocacy group created in directed response to the 2002 Gujarat riots – has also publicly denounced the Gujarat chief Minister several times.
Now, a new bipartisan resolution – House Resolution 417 – calls on the Indian government to crack down on the persecution of religious minorities throughout the country, saying that “strands of the Hindu nationalist movement have advanced a divisive and violent agenda that has harmed the social fabric of India.”
In specific regards to Modi, the legislation also states that Gujarat has been the scene of some of the worst religious violence India has seen over the past 10 years, fingering Modi for condoning it. The resolution also includes provisions to make religious freedom and tolerance a critical part of the US-India Strategic Dialogue, making it an important contingent for the strengthening of ties between the two nations. The bill’s language also urges Indian voters to oppose electing the BJP candidate.
Representative Joseph Pitts, a Republican from Pennsylvania’s 16th District, is one of the 15 sponsors behind the bill. Another of the bill’s sponsors is fellow Republican Steve Chabot from Ohio’s 1st District, who is the Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific.
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF), in a statement, criticized the House resolution, terming it “flawed and grossly inaccurate”.
The HAF also specifically condemned Pitts and fellow co-sponsor Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), both of whom were behind a similar piece of legislation last year which failed to gain traction on the floor of Congress. Both Representatives also did not support a Congressional resolution to create a postage stamp in celebration of Diwali.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com