India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit the United States, specifically Washington D.C., in June.
According to The Times of India, this is Modi’s first state visit since he was elected in 2014. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will likely host a private dinner for Modi on June 21 at the White House. An official state banquet will be held on June 22. Modi is also expected to have a joint meeting with Congress.
“The visit will strengthen our two countries’ shared commitment to a free, open, prosperous and secure Indo-Pacific and our shared resolve to elevate our strategic technology partnership, including in defense, clean energy, and space,” the White House press said in a statement when the visit was announced back in May.
Two sources familiar with the diplomatic relations between India and the U.S. told Reuters that the Biden administration is hoping to advance a deal for India to purchase U.S.-made drones.
Many South Asians and South Asian Americans have criticized Modi’s government for its Hindu nationalist approach. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for people to join them in asking Congress to oppose the meeting with Modi.
“The evidence of Modi’s expanding effort to place a boot firmly on the collective heads of India’s religious minorities is extensive. CAIR has already noted that under Modi his political allies have banned young Muslim women from wearing hijabs at school, ignored widespread lynchings of Muslims, and censored a BBC documentary about Modi’s role in an anti-Muslim pogrom,” CAIR said in a statement, calling Modi “far-right” and “anti-Muslim.”
According to Reuters, when asked about concerns over human rights in India, U.S. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden believes “this is an important relationship that we need to continue and build on as it relates to human rights.”
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