1984, 2002, 2007 riots discussed on Capitol Hill.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A Congressional hearing was convened on Friday in the US House of Representatives, to discuss the alleged persecution of religious minorities in India – a troubling sign as the world’s most populous democracy is just days away from holding the largest democratic event in human history.
The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission met in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill, in response to growing violence against religious minorities in certain parts of India, as well as an apparent rise in discriminatory rhetoric espoused by the country’s political leaders. The purpose of talking about the issues in India was to “provide recommendations for US foreign policy in relation to India,” said the Commission on Wednesday.
Those at the meeting specifically highlighted the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that began as a result of Indira Gandhi’s assassination, the 2007 Odisha attacks on Christians, and, of course, the contentious 2002 Gujarat riots that many have laid at the feet of the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.
Those at the meeting included Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), the first and only Hindu woman in the US Congress, and Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-PA), who has introduced several Congressional bills regarding India’s minority violence and has come after Modi several times in the past.
Pitts, who is also the Commission’s Executive Committee Member, said that he has been to India and seen first-hand the devastation caused by violence against minorities, but noted that the Indian government has been turning a blind eye to it now more than ever, instead of actually doing anything to solve the problem.
Despite the passage of the Freedom of Religion Acts in five Indian states, such instances of violence have not decreased. In fact, because of better reporting, there has been a noticeable uptick in the number of violent acts reported to police and government organizations.
Katrina Lantos Swett, the Vice-Chair of U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), specifically voiced her concerns that, should Modi win the election and ascend to India’s top political seat – as is widely expected at this point – religious minorities across the country will have to live in fear of persecution on a daily basis.
Gabbard also spoke, but said that it is in neither America’s nor India’s interest to discuss what goes on with the Indian elections, saying that such talks may have an undue influence on who becomes elected. That sentiment has been voiced by several Indian and Hindu rights groups here in the US.
Should the US decide to attempt intervention on India’s behalf, and ‘solve’ the minority violence problem on its own, it will only exacerbate strained relations between the two countries. While the US continues to poke holes in India’s pharmaceutical, aviation, and solar power sectors, adding this sensitive issue to the docket of complaints could tip things over the edge, especially if Modi is elected.
The US is currently in a mode of reconciliation, making grand overtures towards India and Modi to ensure that relations stay smooth once the new party comes into power. Earlier this week, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell announced that she will retire next month, something which was likely pushed by the Obama administration. Her replacement could be USAID director Rajiv Shah, whose parents hail from Modi’s home state of Gujarat.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com