Washington: Two US lawmakers, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, have said that they will boycott the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s address the US Congress.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on US official visit, is scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress, tomorrow.
Minnesota 5th District Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has maintained that the Modi-led government of India is “repressing minorities, emboldening violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeting journalists/human rights advocates with impunity.”
She will also host an event at the Capitol following Modi’s address with human rights experts, religious freedom leaders and other members of Congress on Indian policy issues to discuss Modi’s record of repression and violence.
“Prime Minister Modi’s government has repressed religious minorities, emboldened violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeted journalists/human rights advocates with impunity. I will NOT be attending Modi’s speech,” Omar tweeted.
Another Democrat Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, who represents the 12th district of Michigan, calling Modi’s visit ‘shameful’ has also announced that she will not be attending his address to the joint session of the US Congress.
Tlaib in a tweet said, “It’s shameful that Modi has been given a platform at our nation’s capital – his long history of human rights abuses, anti-democratic actions, targeting Muslims & religious minorities, and censoring journalists is unacceptable. I will be boycotting Modi’s joint address to Congress.”
A group of more than 70 Democrats from both the House and the Senate have asked President Joe Biden to make human rights the focus of his discussion with Narendra Modi during his state visit.
The US State Department’s 2022 religious freedom report also highlighted significant human rights issues including credible reports of unlawful and arbitrary killings and extrajudicial killings by the Indian government or its agents.
It is mention here that the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has also recommended that the State Department designate India among others as “countries of particular concern” for violating religious freedoms.
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