Biden cheered booming economic ties with India, wisely refrained from raising various Antics of American lawmakers
President Joe Biden on Thursday pronounced the U.S.-India relationship never stronger and rolled out new business deals with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Meanwhile a few anti Indian, “motivated“ human rights activists and senile American lawmakers, bent upon imposing their own convoluted “ Values” on others, questioned the administration’s decision to honour the leader with a pomp-filled state visit.
Biden knew quite well that even India has ten times more concerns on Human Rights violations, rabid racism and minorities rights violations within the USA and would have reciprocated with the same.
In a joint news conference with Modi, Biden called the relationship between the U.S. and India among the most consequential in the world and “more dynamic than at any time in history.”
He underscored how two of the world’s most powerful democracies were cooperating on issues such as the climate, health care and space, saying that the U.S-India economic relationship was “booming.”
Modi superbly silenced a reporter’s question about his country’s commitment to democratic values as the country has seen an erosion of religious, political and press freedoms under his watch.
“Democracy is our spirit,” Modi, who rarely takes questions from journalists, said through an interpreter. “Democracy runs in our veins. We live democracy and our ancestors have actually put words to this concept.” He said India has “proved that democracies can deliver and when I say deliver, this is regardless of class, creed, religion, gender.”
Imagine American journalists trying to teach “ American democracy “ to the Indian PM. Probably the journalist was unaware that India had democracy many hundreds years before even Alexander’s birth.
Americans who interview people before even giving a tourist visa, take years to grant work visa and Green cards, dare to criticise India over legislation amending the country’s citizenship law that fast-tracks naturalization for some migrants but excludes Pakistani/Bangladeshi Muslims, a rise in violence against Muslims (without any facts and figures and without talking about Kashmiri Pandits) and other religious minorities (do they mean Christians ???) by Hindu nationalists.
The game comes out in the open when they praise the conviction of India’s top opposition leader (since when?), Rahul Gandhi, for mocking Modi’s surname.
India is a much more vibrant democracy than USA and therefore in a 59-minute address before a joint meeting of Congress, Modi firmly stated that in India “diversity is a natural way of life.”
“We are home to all faiths in the world, and we celebrate all of them,” added Modi, in a line that brought many cheering lawmakers to their feet.
The premier’s description runs counter to accusations by handful of politically “motivated” rights groups of widespread attacks and discrimination against India’s Muslims and other minorities under the present Govt. Whereas facts lay bare that during British Rule there were 50 times more “ engineered “ riots.
A group of more than 70 lawmakers wrote to Biden this week urging him to raise concerns about the erosion of religious, press and political freedoms during the visit.
At least six Democratic lawmakers – Democratic Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Greg Casar of Texas, Jamaal Bowman and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York – boycotted Modi’s address to Congress, because of concerns about his human rights records.
We Indians strongly encourage these lawmakers to try and rectify all the above drawbacks spreading like wildfire within the American society. They should start by banning Weapon sales to individuals.
During their Oval Office meeting, Biden said, he and Modi had a “good discussion about democratic values” while Modi said “there’s absolutely no space for discrimination” about Indi’s commitment on human rights.
The state visit, just the third of the Biden’s presidency, was certainly a glitzy affair.
Thousands gathered on the White House South Lawn for the welcoming ceremony, listening to performances by violinist Vibha Janakiraman and the a cappella group Penn Masala. As Modi arrived, the crowd — including many members of the Indian diaspora — broke out in a chant of “Modi, Modi, Modi.”
“All eyes are on the two largest democracies in the world, India and America,” Modi said. “I believe that our strategic partnership is important. I’m confident that working together will be successful.”
Later, Modi told Congress that “our partnership augurs well for the future of democracy” as the two countries expand partnerships in defence, semiconductor manufacturing and other industries. He also cheered the “samosa caucus”–the five U.S. House members of Indian descent–and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is Black and of Indian descent, as examples of the impact of the diaspora.
Biden administration officials say honouring Modi, the leader of the conservative Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, is Diplomacy. The U.S.-India relationship will be vital in coming decades as both sides navigate an ascendant China and the enormity of climate change, artificial intelligence, supply chain resilience and other issues.
“On the issues that matter most that will define the future, our nations look to one another including on critical regional and global issues,” Biden said.
Among the announcements made Thursday is an agreement that will allow U.S.-based General Electric to transfer technology on payment to Hindustan Aeronautics to produce jet engines and the sale of U.S.-made armed MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones.
The Biden administration also announced plans to invest in India’s growing g semiconductor industry.
U.S.-based Micron Technology eagerly waiting to build a $2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India, with Micron spending more than $800 million and India financing the rest. U.S.-based Applied Materials will launch a new semiconductor centre for commercialization and innovation in India, and Lam Research, another semiconductor manufacturing equipment company will start a training program for 60,000 Indian engineers.
On the space front, India signed on to the Artemis Accords, a blueprint for space exploration cooperation among nations participating in NASA’s lunar exploration plans. NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization also agreed to make a joint mission to the International Space Station next year.
“We made critical and emerging technologies the pillar of our next generation partnership to ensure these technologies promote and protect our values, remain open, accessible, trusted and secure,” Biden added. “All this matters for America, for India and for the world.”
At the welcoming ceremony, Modi called the Indian diaspora in America — the millions of immigrants and their children from the subcontinent living in the U.S. – “the real strength” of the U.S.-India relationship. He said the honor of a formal state visit — the first in the U.S. for India since Barack Obama honored Modi’s predecessor, Manmohan Singh, in 2009 — reflected the positive impact Indians are having worldwide.
Modi, the son of a tea seller who rose to be India’s premier, also recalled that the first time he visited the White House was three decades ago as a “common man.”
“I have come here many times but today for the first time, the doors of the White House have been opened for the Indian American community in such large numbers,” Modi said to an estimated crowd of 7,000.
Despite the major deals, the visit was shadowed by concerns laid out by rights activists and lawmakers who question Modi’s commitment to democratic principles.
In 2005, the U.S. revoked Modi’s visa to the U.S., citing concerns that, as chief minister of the state of Gujarat, he did not act to stop communal violence during 2002 anti-Muslim riots that left more than 1,000 people dead. An investigation approved by the Indian Supreme Court later absolved Modi. Can any one imagine any other country trying to “ government “ India by raising “ concerns “.
Biden and Modi have also had major differences over Russia – Ukraine conflict. India abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions condemning close friend Russia and refused to join the global coalition against Russia. Since the start of the conflict, the Indian government has also rightly increased its purchase of cheaper Russian oil.
India will never move away from Russia. Also it will keep buying required military equipment till things become totally indigenous. Though we are looking also to the French, U.S., Israel, and other nations who are ready to sell.
Modi firmly stated that “This is not an era of war, but it is one of dialogue and diplomacy” Modi said. “And we must all do what we can to stop the bloodshed and human suffering.”
Without specifically naming China, Modi also addressed heightened tensions in the region, saying “dark clouds of coercion and confrontation are casting their shadow in the Indo Pacific.”
