The White House on Wednesday had to defend an invite to the Indian Prime Minister, after it announced that President Joe Biden would host Narendra Modi for an official state visit that would include a state dinner on June 22.
“The upcoming visit will affirm the deep and close partnership between the United States and India and the warm bonds of family and friendship that link Americans and Indians together,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement announcing the visit.
A state dinner hosted by the President, honouring a visiting head of government, is one of the grandest of White House events. While Modi has visited the US during the terms of three US Presidents in his nine years as Prime Minister, this is the first time he has been invited to a state dinner.
Modi’s predecessor Manmohan Singh was hosted at two state dinners at the White House. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee have all been honoured with state dinners.
But the invitation to Modi, who was shunned by Western nations for years after the 2002 Gujarat riots and denied a US visa in 2005 under the terms of a law that bars entry of foreigners who have committed “particularly severe violations of religious freedom”, triggered questions.
“Are the optics problematic for the White House, with the White House giving India sort of the honour of a state visit when there are obvious human rights concerns under Prime Minister Modi and the fact that there are clear differences between the US and India when it comes to Russia and Ukraine?” Jean-Pierre was asked.
The press secretary said: “As we do with other nations around the world, we regularly engage with Indian government officials at senior levels on human rights concerns, including freedom of religion or belief. That is something that the President regularly does. We encourage all countries to uphold their human rights obligations, and commitments, and to work towards building inclusive societies.”
Jean-Pierre continued: “This is a President who has had decades of experience in leader-to-leader relationships. This is an important relationship as we speak about the Indo-Pacific, as we talk about how to move forward in that region.”
“And so, the President believes this is an important relationship that we need to continue and build on. As it relates to human rights, as I just laid out, this is a conversation that we have with other nations around the world. The President never shies away to have that conversation with leaders,” Jean-Pierre said.
The US visa ban on Modi, who was chief minister of Gujarat when more than 1,000 people died in the riots of 2002, was lifted only after the 2014 elections. Then President Barack Obama invited Modi to the White House after the BJP and its allies swept the elections, putting him in position to be Prime Minister.
Modi denies wrongdoing and has been cleared by the courts.
According to the external affairs ministry, the upcoming visit will underscore the growing importance of the strategic partnership between India and the US as the two nations collaborate across numerous sectors. The leaders will have the opportunity to review strong bilateral cooperation in various areas of mutual interest, including technology, trade, industry, education, research, clean energy, defence, security, healthcare, and deepening people-to-people connections.
