Questions linger as Modi inches closer to being Prime Minister.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: With Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi apparently just days away from becoming India’s next Prime Minister, the US State Department suddenly reverted to its former coy self regarding whether or not Modi would be allowed, let alone welcome, on US soil.
When asked by local media about Modi’s visa status in the US, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said simply that all foreign heads of state are eligible for A1 visas, but that none are automatically qualified or guaranteed to receive one, reports the Press Trust of India.
The statement is a rather strange reversal from recent behavior by the US, which has spent the last few months doing as much as it could to make amends with a man it has more or less shunned for the better part of a decade. Although Modi has been repeatedly denied a visa to enter the US, Assistant Secretary of State Nisha Desai Biswal told Indian government officials that the US is ready and willing to work with Modi if he becomes India’s leader.
On top of that, US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell, will end her term in the position this month, just as India’s government undergoes its change. It’s no secret that Powell and Modi did not get along, and despite statements to the contrary, it’s been assumed by many that Powell was forced out of her ambassadorship in order to appease Modi and the BJP.
Whether the US is engaging in political double-talk or not, all indications point to India being led by Modi when the election results are announced this Friday, May 16. The US will have to find a way to work with Modi, as India remains a critical ally that the US needs to keep on good terms, in spite of several road bumps that have materialized in the last year.
Needless to say, President Barack Obama and the Secretary of State John Kerry will likely be paying very close attention to how India’s election results pan out the day after tomorrow.