A state dinner at the White House to honor India Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacked the star power of past state dinners, reports the Washington Post.
Absent were such prominent Indian American celebrities as Mindy Kaling, Kal Penn, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Padma Lakshmi.
The Post speculated that Modi was too controversial of a leader for Hollywood’s Asian A-list to take part.
Indian American lawmakers including Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Ami Bera (D-Calif.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) and Ro Khanna(D-CA) did attend.
Khanna prides himself as being progressive but has been under some criticism for pushing for Modi to be invited to address Congress, a rare honor granted to him Thursday.
Rep Pramila Jayapal is the leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and signed a letter urging the President to bring up India’s human rights abuses with Modi. Yet she too attended the dinner.
Civil rights advocates had called for all of Modi’s appearances in the U.S. to be boycotted.
The White House released the full guest list to the dinner.
The Indian American commuity is largely split on Modi.
About 100 Indian Americans appeared at the United Nations to show their support for the Prime Minister as he lead International Yoga Day, reported North Jersey.com.
Another group protested his presence.
“I don’t have anything to say to those people — that conversation is not going to go anywhere,” said one protester who identified himself only as Ashwin from New York to New Jersey.com.
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Are these illustrious foreign policy experts ? :
Mindy Kaling, Kal Penn, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Padma Lakshmi.