Friend, Last week, top U.S. government officials warmly hosted India’s prime minister Narendra Modi, who delivered a rare speech to a joint session of Congress and further gained stature as the guest of honor at an official state dinner hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. Modi is a far-right Hindu nationalist who should be held accountable for his support of the Gujarat massacre of close to 2,000 people in 2002, most of whom were Muslims. Due to his involvement, Modi -- the chief minister of India’s state of Gujarat at the time -- was banned from entering the U.S. for almost ten years (2005-2014). Biden’s willingness to host and honor Modi sends a disgraceful message to the world -- conveying that the United States will continue to turn a blind eye to human rights violations, as long as its relationship with violators serves a strategic global interest. With wide congressional support, Biden is pandering to India as a vital ally at a time when U.S.-China confrontations could escalate. Click here to quickly tell President Biden, your senators and House member that you reject the policy of catering to the Modi-led Indian government. At a time when the U.S. government preaches democracy to the world, Washington’s policy is to embrace Modi while he continues to crack down violently and selectively on religious minorities -- mostly Muslims -- peaceful protesters, the press, farmers and human-rights activists. Modi’s visit was welcomed by the bulk of Congress, Democrats and Republicans alike. But more than 70 members of the U.S. Senate and House issued a letter calling on the president to address Modi’s human rights violations during their talks. This is why we implore the Biden administration to refrain from coddling human rights abusers and stand on the side of democracy by supporting journalists along with religious minorities and those who champion equal rights for all. Please take action:  For details about Prime Minister Modi’s record, please go to the Common Dreams link below. Thank you! --- The RootsAction.org Team
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